Memories for Ourselves
by familyofthieves
Summary: This life might not have been planned, but they wouldn't want it any other way
1. Baby Boy

**This is a collection of future l/v family drabbles I have written on tumblr and have decided the share here. Just a heads up they are not going to be in order. **

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He wasn't ready for this, having a boy. Another girl he could handle they were easy. Of course he was able to say that now when the little girl he had at home was only two years old and the worse thing she did was color on the walls. But a having having a boy created a new set of things to be concerned about.

He had first hand knowledge of how much trouble they could be, not to mention his biggest fear coming true. How was he going to handle him when things got tough? What if simple threats and time outs weren't enough? He didn't even want to think about what he could do, but he knew it was a possibility and that was what scared him.

"Are you okay?" She asked as they walked out of the doctor's office, sonogram still in hand.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He asked not wanting her to worry.

"You're just quiet that's all."

"I'm still processing the idea of us having a second kid. And just when I thought we were going to be done with diaper duty too."

"You mean the past doctors visits and my ever growing stomach getting in the way of everything wasn't proof enough?"

He shrugged "It's just taking me a little longer to wrap my head around things. We're going to have two kids under the age of five in the house, one girl and one boy."

"You know you're nothing like him."

He stopped walking and turned to face her, "what?"

"Your father, you're nothing like your father."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you and I see the way you are with our daughter."

"But she's a girl, it's different."

"No it's not. You are going to love and treat our son the same way that you treat our little girl at home. You will never treat our son the way your father treated you."

"You have an awful lot of faith in me."

"Always have and always will."

She leaned up on her toes and kissed him, the bump from their son pressed up again his stomach reminding him of how much he already loved this baby.

"Now let's go home." She said.

He allowed her to take his hand and lead them back to their car. For now the fears were subsided, but he knew he they would always be there. It scared him how easy it could be to become the man his father was. But he and his wife were never ones to take the easy route, and with her by his side he knew his fears would never become a reality.


	2. Surf Lessons

**Thank you all so much for the kind words! I have about 20 drabbles already written and until Thursday will be posting one a day.**

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It was a beautiful warm Saturday as she laid on the towel looking out at the ocean, but more specifically at the family in them. She had never been a fan of surfing, but she loved watching how much joy it brought to her husband and kids.

Today was her little boy's first official lesson. For his birthday his father had given him a board and a promise to take him out and teach him. Of course big sister came along for the lesson both to cheer her brother on and practice herself.

While she couldn't see their faces she knew how happy the three were. Her husband was a wonderful patient teacher. He never got frustrated with the kids and reminded them often that it took time and lots of practice. She knew that he was just as happy, if not more, teaching their children how to surf as he was surfing the bigger waves by himself or with his friends.

"Mommy! Mommy! Did you see me?" Her little boy said running over to her towel and throwing his wet body on her.

"Yes I did, you did wonderful out there."

"Mom did you see that wave I was able to ride all by myself?" Her daughter asked next plopping herself down on the towel.

"I did indeed."

"How about me Mommy did I do a good job?" Her husband asked cheekily, his son and daughter's boards under each arm.

"You were good too." She laughed.

He stuck the boards into the sand before kneeling down and kissing her.

"Eww!" Their children cried.

She laughed into the kiss and neither of them made a move to break apart enjoying another moment to torture their children.

"Come on I found Dad's wallet lets go get something to eat." She heard her daughter say.

She felt the kids get up from the towel and run off in the direction of food.

"Should we go after them?" She asked pulling away.

"Nah I let her do this all the time, though usually only with a few dollars and not my whole wallet."

"Of course you do."

"So how much longer till I get you out on a board?" He asked quickly changing subject.

"Well I need at least another six months to let this bun finish baking plus another couple for recovery." She said placing her hands on her small bump.

"So high maintenance, but speaking of that how is our next future surfer doing?"

"Happily riding the waves of its amniotic fluid."

"Glad to hear that. Now come on we better go gather our kids before they spend all of our money on junk food."

He stood up and held out his hand to help her up. The two walked quickly hand in hand in search of the children and hoping they didn't cause too much trouble.


	3. Mother's Day

Mother's Day used to be one of those holidays she avoided like the plague. She didn't need to see the constant reminders of how there were so many wonderful mothers in the world and that her's was not one of them. The weeks leading up to the holiday had been a constant reminder of all that she had lost the day she told her mother to leave.

It wasn't until she had her own daughter did she fully get to enjoy the holiday and understand its importance. She loved that for a full day she got pampered by her kids and husband.

This year was no exception. Celebrations started as soon as she had gotten out of bed and walked into the kitchen to see a full breakfast spread along with flowers and cards at her place at the table.

As soon as her kids noticed her they ran at full force to try and hug her first. Simultaneously they shouted happy Mother's Day as they wrapped their arms around her. She gave each one a kiss on the head and allowed them to continue to crush her with love.

"Kids I know today's all about your mom, but I don't think killing her is the way to do it." She heard her husband say.

The kids gave her a sheepish smile before letting go and running away.

"Thank you." She said finally able to properly breath again.

"It's the least I could do." He shrugged and pulled her into his arms to give her a kiss. "Happy Mother's Day." He whispered.

He gave her one last kiss before taking her hand and leading her to the dining room table. Their daughter and son quickly joined them, and eagerly shouted at her to open up her presents. Not one to deny the happiness of her children, or presents, she quickly tore at the paper.

She got the usual hand made drawings, cards, and jewelry which would be going into her children's art project box that was overflowing with all that they've made. They ate breakfast together as she listened to the happy chatter of the kids telling her all about how they made the presents.

Afterwards her husband shooed her off into the living room before she could even pick up her plate. She pretended to read a book, but was really listening to the laughter coming from the kitchen. She knew they were probably making more of a mess than cleaning up from breakfast, but it didn't bother her.

She saw the kids run upstairs and her husband walked towards her, his t-shirt wet from whatever had happened in the kitchen.

"Don't worry it's spotless in there, you would never be able to tell the Charlotte accidentally splashed water on me and all over the floor while trying to clean out the pan."

She couldn't help but laughing, knowing her daughter that was no sat down on the couch next to her and she quickly curled up under his arm even with his wet shirt.

"What else do you three have planned for the rest of the day?" She asked.

"Nothing up until dinner at your dad's. The day is up to you my dear. Though I do have a little something special planned for tonight."

"You do?" She asked picking her head up off of his chest to look at him.

He nodded his head, "I got your father to agree to watch the kids tonight and take them to school tomorrow."

She sat up right now very interested in his plans, "you did?"

Again he nodded his head, "I thought you deserved a little something that didn't involve kids or having to worry about scaring them."

"I know what I'm getting isn't little." She replied cheekily.

He smiled at her before leaning forward and kissing her. He lowered their bodies down onto the couch and hovered above her as they continued to kiss like they did when they were teenagers.

"A little preview of what's to come tonight." He whispered into her lips before pulling away from her.

She knew it was for the best they stopped now before they got carried away, but that didn't stop her from pouting about it. He stood up from the couch and held out a hand to her.

"I need to change out of this wet shirt and it's far too quiet in here meaning that our monsters are up to no good."

She took his hand and he pulled her up and into his arms for one final kiss. Hand in hand they headed up the stairs ready to tackle whatever mischief their children had gotten into, the knowledge of hours of uninterrupted parent time making it all the more easier.


	4. Too Soon

**I am so glad that you are all liking these drabbles. To answer an anon's question and maybe a few other's as well, these drabbles are a bit out of order. So the last drabble you just read took place before Veronica was pregnant with baby #3 and this one goes back all the way to the beginning as in after TMDTL. I know it can be confusing, but I don't like to write in order. If you ever have questions about where a drabble falls in the time line please ask!**

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It was too soon for this, way too soon. He had just gotten home and she was still trying to figure out what she was doing with her new old life.

It could not have come at a worse time. Then again there was no real good time for them, especially not with their histories and screwed up families. Okay at least she had a good father as a roll model, but that didn't help her out all that much.

There was no way the two of them could do it, this had to be some twisted joke. It had taken her over a week to gather up the courage to go to the store and kept chalking this up to stress even though she knew that was a lie.

For once things were good in her life with little to no drama. Her dad was almost fully recovered from his accident so she didn't have to worry about him as much. While the she and the man who caused this problem might not have a label for their relationship things were steady and they were actually handling it like two adults talking through their problems instead of running towards away from them. Even the business was doing well, or at least well enough that she could pay all of the bills. She didn't want to mess up what little bliss she had going.

Deep down she knew the other shoe was bound to drop, it was impossible for her life to stay this quiet, but she hasn't expected it to be this life altering. But it finally came to a point where she knew she couldn't put it off any longer, which is how she ended up on his, or was it theirs, bed in the middle of the afternoon a positive pregnancy test in hand. Even though she knew this was going to be the end results it didn't make it any easier to process. She had no idea how long she had been sitting like that or even that he had come home.

"What's wrong?" He asked worriedly when he saw her in the bed.

She didn't answer or even look up at him. She heard him walk further into the room and crouch down in front of her. Gently he took her hands in his and pried them open so he could see what she was fixated on. From the silence she knew he understood what the little white stick and two pink lines meant.

After a moment he asked "how did this happen?"

Finally she picked her head up to look at him, "really do we need to have that talk?"

"I know how it happened I just don't know how…I mean when."

"I'm guessing around the time you came home."

"How long have you know."

"I've had a feeling something wasn't right for awhile now all that throwing up and exhaustion couldn't have just been from the excitement and work. Not to mention I was late and I haven't been this late since the first time I got my period."

"So what's out next step?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know the protocol of this thing, but I assume you have to go to the doctor to make sure it's growing all healthy and things like that."

"I don't even know if I want to keep it." she blurted out finally saying the words she had been holding in since the moment she took the test.

"Why wouldn't you want to keep it?" he asked sounding more concerned than angry at her confession.

"We're not ready for this Logan. We were only together for two weeks before you left and now I don't even know where we stand. Plus I don't want to give up my job and I'm still trying to figure out what moving back to Neptune means."

"First I didn't realize you needed us to have a label, I always thought we were more than just boyfriend and girlfriend. Second who said anything about you quitting? You can't go out alone anymore on those kamikaze cases, and you'll have to take a maternity leave like every other woman. But there is nothing stopping you from going back."

"But who will watch the baby?"

"I'll do it?"

"You will."

He casually shrugged, "It's not like we need a second income and my time is up. And there is nothing I would rather do than be Mr. Dad."

She gave him a look not believing what he just said.

"It's true, I have no other profession calling out to me. What better way to spend my time while you're off solving the mystery of the week than raising our child."

"Aren't you nervous?"

"Of course I am, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't go through with it."

"What if we mess up, or worse…" she started, unable to finish her thought.

"That's not going to happen to us, we won't let it."

"How do you have some much faith in this, in us?"

"Because I know us, we might not have the best track record for stability or trust or the best of role models, but together we can do anything. We'll be everything that our parents weren't. Plus any child with our genes is made for greatness."

"Or pure terror." she added.

"That too."

They shared a laugh and a smile, finally easing the tension in the room.

"So we're really doing this? Having a baby?" she looked at him in the eyes.

She was still terrified over the idea, but it was starting to grow on her. Deep down she knew she always wanted this baby, but the fear just got out first.

"Looks that way." he stood up from his position on the floor and kissed her.


	5. Over Due

She was over due, way past over due. She was surprised the bun in her oven hadn't burnt yet. Her doctor said she and the baby were healthy and it wasn't uncommon for woman to go past their due date. While this information did comfort her, it did nothing to ease her physical pains.

She was so tired of being pregnant and wanted this baby out of her. She had even gone to the internet to try and find natural ways of inducing labor and was desperate enough to try ever single suggestion.

She had done the simple things such as eating spicy foods, going for long walks, and even a bumpy car ride. When those didn't work she moved to the less appealing ones such as drinking castor oil and sex, which usually would be fun but not when she felt like a whale.

Of course those things didn't work either which just left her feeling so bloated and tired that all she could do was lie on the couch and cry. This was exactly how he found her after coming home from the store.

"What's wrong?" He asked running to her side and taking her hand.

"I don't want to be pregnant anymore." She wailed.

"It's okay our daughter is just enjoying these last few days of safety before entering this crazy world."

"But I'm not enjoying it, I want her out of me now."

"By the end of the week she'll be out. It might be through induction, but at least she'll be here."

"She's as stubborn as her father that's for sure."

"Stubbornness doesn't just come from me." He quickly kissed her before she could get herself worked up and start a new argument. "What do you say you and I relax for the right of the day. We could just turn on the TV and cuddle?"

She nodded her head in agreement, she still felt bloated and uncomfortable, but at least he had made her feel calmer. He wiped away the last few tears from her eyes and kissed her forehead. She picked up her body allowing him to lie behind her on the couch.

He started flipping through the channels trying to find something that would distract her. He settled on some stupid show on HGTV, it was the perfect background noise. He wrapped his arm around her and placed his hand on her stomach as they watched the show. Or really he did, she was already starting to doze off.

She was never able to fall asleep though. She felt a pain shooting through her stomach causing her to cry out once again.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"No I'm not okay my back is killing me and so is my stomach and I feel wet too."

"Um Veronica you're not the only one that feels wet." She craned her neck around to look at him confused. "I think your water broke."

Her eyes lit up as she processed what he said in combination to the new pains, "I'm in labor."

"Yes you are." He laughed.

He slide out from behind her and helped her off of the couch. He kissed her one last time, both of them thrilled that their daughter was finally ready to make her appearance.

He pulled away from her, matching smiles on both of their faces, "Now let's go have this baby."


	6. The Birth

"I changed my mind." she told him at the end of a long contraction.

"What do you mean you changed your mind?"

"I don't want to be in labor anymore, I want to go back home."

"I'm sorry but it's a bit late for that now. Besides I thought you said you were sick of being pregnant."

"I was until I realized how painful labor is. And I want our daughter to stay inside of me where she is nice and safe."

"She can't stay in there forever Veronica. She has to come out and face the world."

"No she doesn't. She seemed perfectly content in there several hours ago, I don't know why she suddenly changed her mind."

"Because she is ready to meet her daddy that's why." he joked, but she only gave him a look not finding it funny. "Our baby is done cooking, it's her time to make her grand appearance."

"But what if we can't protect her?"

"We won't be able to protect her from everything, but between us and your father our daughter will be the safest little girl in Neptune."

He kissed the top of her sweaty head as she nodded in agreement. Her mood changed from fear to pain as another contraction hit her. She squeezed his hand, the one that she had been holding since they got her settled into the delivery room, as she rode out the contraction.

"I can't do this." she cried collapsing against the pillows.

"Yes you can. You're Veronica Mars, you can do anything."

"You're just saying that because you have to be nice to me. You're the one that put me in all this pain."

"I won't deny that, but I'm not just saying it."

Another contraction hit her before she could say anything else to him. It wasn't long after that the nurse came in to check on her and from there her doctor came in to a final check and told them it was time. He took his spot up by her head as the nurses and doctor helped her into position.

He cheered her on as the doctor instructed her to push. He alternated between watching her face and what the doctor was doing.

"She's here!" he exclaimed as their daughter finally entered the world.

They quickly transferred her onto the towel on her mother's chest and started to clean her off. A cry pierced the room as the two new parents continued to stare at the life they had created.

"You did it." he said and kissed her head again, though his eyes never left their baby.

"We have a daughter." she cried.

"That we do." he kissed her head one more time before leaning down and kissing his daughter's head for the first time.

The dirty towel was removed and the baby was placed on her mother's bare chest and finally a new towel was laid on top of mother and daughter. Both of them had tears in their eyes in disbelief and awe over their perfect child. From two separate broken families they had united and created a perfect and whole new one.


	7. First Steps

The best part about working with her father was that every day could be bring your daughter to work day. Which it pretty much was, especially since she was still breast feeding. Plus she hated being away from her daughter so she used any excuse she could to get her in the office.

On this day the little family of three was sitting on the floor in reception. Her father was out working a case, and she was supposed to be filing and be prepared for any new clients that might walk in. But it was hard to focus on any of those things when her daughter was around and no one was telling her to get back to work.

The baby was a lot more mobile now that she could crawl. She had gotten herself into one too many tight spaces in her explorations of the new environment before the three adults realized they had to have someone on her at all times. Now she was standing up on her own taking tentative steps while clinging to pieces of furniture. Thankfully most of things in the office were still out of reach, but they had started to baby proof things to be on the safe side and not wanting any repeats from her crawling incidents.

At this moment her two parents were sitting on the floor while she held onto the couch smiling it them. She had yet to take steps on her own successfully. Without the support of her family or an inanimate object she would flop to the floor and crawl. They were cheering her on of course trying to get her to let go and walk to them, but she only laughed and bounced finding the situation funny.

"She's enjoying this way too much." he told her after another failed attempt. He made a face at their daughter, which made her laugh even harder.

"Well if you keep distracting like that she's never going to focus."

"No I'm pretty sure she already knows how to walk and she is just teasing us because she likes watching us make fools of ourselves."

"She's still a baby Logan, I don't think she is old enough to start defying her parents yet."

"But you forget that she is our offspring, she came out of the womb knowing how to piss off adults."

"Language. I don't want her first word to be a curse word."

"She doesn't know what we're saying, she's just a baby."

"Says the man who just told me she's a baby genius."

"Not a baby genius, just above average."

She rolled her eyes at his poor argument, which turned out to be a good thing. During their fight they had taken their eyes off of their daughter, but during that eye roll she caught something.

"Logan look." she whispered not wanting to startle the baby.

"What?" he asked too loudly, but quickly shut his mouth realizing his mistake.

Their daughter had let go of the couch and was standing on her own. The two sat patiently both on edge waiting to see what she did next. With a large smile on her face the baby took a few quick steps before tumbling into her mother's waiting arms.

"You did it!" she cheered hugging her daughter.

The baby giggled loudly clearly proud of what she had just done.

"See I told you all she needed to do was focus." she told him.

"I think she was just jealous that we weren't paying attention to her anymore."

She held the baby out in front of her, "Was that it? Were you just jealous that Mommy and Daddy were fighting instead of playing with you?"

The baby giggled, though she couldn't tell if it was because of the attention she was now getting or because her master plan had worked.

"What do you think can you do it again?" he took the baby from her mother's arms and placed her feet on the ground.

He held onto her tiny hands as he allowed her to lead them around the office. She knew it was going to take more practice before their daughter was stable on her feet, but she was enjoying these moments of trying to teach her too much to care.


	8. Second Birthday

She couldn't believe that her daughter was two or that she was a mother of a two year old daughter. She wasn't sure she was ready for it either, she had heard some horror stories about terrible twos, but so far her daughter had continued to be her sweet self. Though she had only been two for a few hours now, so there was still time for her to change.

They decided to celebrate with all of their friends with a backyard cookout, their daughter still didn't have any friends her own age yet so it was all adults. She didn't seem to mind though since she was getting lots of attention from everyone. She ran around the backyard from person to person as they started a conversation with her, which really was just them pretending to agree with the toddler since she still didn't have a grasp on the English language.

She had on a bright yellow sun dress and matching bow in her short blond hair, which would be covered in grass and dirt stains by the end of the day, but she didn't care. Motherhood had quickly taught her that it was next to impossible to keep a baby clean and to just roll with it.

As the sun was starting to set her husband brought out the birthday cake which she had baked this morning. It was a vanilla cake with white frosting and in pink frosting it read "happy birthday Charlotte." They sang happy birthday and watched as the toddler tried to blow out the candles. She had the basic concept of it down, but needed her parents help to get them all out.

Afterwards presents were unwrapped, which the toddler enjoyed immensely. Soon all of the adults were forgotten about as she was lost in the land of stuffed animals and books.

It wasn't long after that that their friends decided to call it a night and headed back to their respective houses. They had taken their cue from the birthday girl who had started to nod off in the grass.

"Today was fun." he said coming from behind and wrapped his arms around his wife.

"It was wasn't it?" she agreed and watched as her father rocked his granddaughter.

"I can't believe she is two years old already. Time sure does fly."

"She isn't a baby anymore."

"Nope, we have officially now entered the toddler years."

"I was thinking…"

"That's never a good thing."

She playfully smacked his hand, "I was thinking about how much I enjoyed having a baby around the house and that maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to have another one."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

She casually shrugged her shoulders, "It wouldn't hurt to give Charlotte a little brother or sister and I really do miss having a baby. What do you think?"

He spun her around to face him, "I think it's a great idea."

"You do?"

"There is nothing that I want more than having more children with you Veronica."

"Think we can start tonight? I finished off my last prescription of pills."

"You've been planning this for awhile now haven't you? What were you going to do if I said no?"

She shrugged, "Either made you change your mind on having a second baby or held out on sex until I was able to refill my prescription."

"Well it's a good thing I agree with you. And as soon as your dad leaves and we get our birthday girl to bed we can start."

She gave him a kiss on a cheek before turning back around to watch her dad and daughter again. The toddler was sound asleep in his arms worn out from a full day of birthday activities. She walked over to the pair and easily transferred her daughter into her arms without waking her up.

She still had trouble believing that she had given birth to the little girl in her arms two years ago. She was a little sad at how quickly she was growing up, even if she did have thousands of pictures documenting every moment, but she was excited over the idea about having another baby with her husband. She wasn't replacing her daughter of course, no one could replace her sweet little girl. They were just adding another member to their family, after all they had plenty of love to share.


	9. Pregnancy Test

She had no idea that trying could be this hard and tiring. Not that she was complaining about the actual trying to make a baby part, that was the only good thing about their predicament. They had gotten pregnant so easily the first time when they weren't even trying then, that she had assumed it would be just as easy the second time. She was disappointed after the first month of trying when she got her period, and for the months that followed.

They had vowed not to become that obsessed couple that started tracking her ovulation cycle and if trying ever became more of a chore than fun they would stop. She had more respect for the woman who never gave up though and kept at it for years. They had only been trying for six months now and she knew that it could take years before they finally conceived.

He was able to tell how sad she was each month, and was always there to remind her that when the time was right it would happen. Plus they already had a perfect little girl, so if it didn't work that was okay too. She knew everything he said was right, but when that time of the month began she couldn't help but feel disappointed.

She had learned not to get her hopes up and just expected not to get pregnant. Which was why when symptoms started to appear she thought nothing of them. With a two year old in the house germs seemed to be everywhere and it wasn't uncommon for one of them to be sick, especially in the fall.

So when she started throwing up one morning he tucked her back into bed and told her to sleep it off. Normally she would have objected, there was so much to be done at the office, but she was far too exhausted to fight back. That should have been her first clue.

It wasn't until she was back at her job, still feeling a little queasy, that she finally put the puzzle pieces together. She was looking at dates for their latest case in a mass of files when she realized that something was missing.

"I have to go!" she shouted to her dad and ran out the door before he could answer.

She went straight to the local drug store before driving back home.

"Where's Charlotte?" she asked as soon as she stepped into the doorway.

"I just put her down for a nap. Why, what's wrong?" he asked clearly worried.

Instead of telling him she handed him the bag that contained her purchase from the drug store.

"Do you think it's real this time?"

"I am very late and it would explain why I haven't been feeling well."

"I guess there's only one way to know for sure, lead the way."

Together they walked up to their bedroom and he allowed her privacy to take the test by herself in the bathroom.

"How long do we have to wait for?" he asked when she came out.

"At least two minutes." she answered and put the test on her night table so they could watch it.

"How did you do this alone the first time? I don't think I would have been able to handle the wait."

She shrugged, "I was in such a state of shock that whole day that the two minutes flew by."

"You're not going to be upset if it turns out of the negative right? t doesn't mean anything if we're not pregnant this month. We'll just have to keep on trying, which personally I don't mind."

"Of course you don't. And no I won't be upset, disappointed sure, but I won't be crying my eyes out if the test is negative."

"As long as we're on the same page, I hate seeing you so sad over this."

He pulled her into his arms and the two sat on the bed together watching the little white stick.

"Has it been two minutes yet?" he asked.

She looked at her phone, "Just about. You ready for this?"

He nodded his head yes. She leaned over, not wanting to leave his arms, and she picked up the test. Together they looked at the results.

"I'm pregnant!" she said in shock, but a huge smile lit up her face.

"That you are." he said equally as excited and pulled her in closer.

"We actually did it. We're going to have another baby."

"There's no turning back now. Are you ready for two little monsters?"

"More than ready. Sorry we don't get to try anymore."

"Just because we're not trying to make a baby doesn't mean we have to stop. We have a good hour before Charlotte wakes up from her nap, which gives us plenty of time to celebrate."

Before she could get another word in her rolled her onto the bed and started kissing her, the positive pregnancy test falling out of her hand and onto the floor.


	10. Birthday Morning

He had been sleeping peacefully on his back enjoying a moment of being allowed to sleep in, when a weight was placed on his chest. It wasn't hard to guess what that weight was, especially since it was wiggling about.

"Can you say wake up Daddy?" he heard a female voice say.

"Wake up Daddy." a second voice parroted back.

He opened his eyes a crack and a huge smile lit up his daughter's face.

"What happened to letting me sleep in?" he mumbled, not that he really minded being woken up by his two favorite girls.

"We let you sleep in a whole extra hour and decided that we didn't want you to waste your birthday in bed."

"No sleep Daddy." their little girl added.

"Who can argue with that logic."

"Can you wish your Dad a happy birthday?" she asked the toddler.

"Happy birthday Daddy." she said, though the th in birthday came out more like an f.

Without any prompting she placed both of her small hands on his cheeks and leaned down to give him a big kiss on his lips.

"Thank you Charlotte." he smiled.

He loved getting kisses and hugs from his daughter, especially when she gave them without being asked. Which was often because she was an affectionate little girl and was always looking to show somebody love.

"Guess I have to get up now huh?" he asked and tickled his daughter's sides.

"Yes Daddy up." she demanded between giggles.

He gave her cheek a kiss before picking her up and placing her on the floor. In her pink footie pajamas she ran off and out of the room.

"Happy birthday." his wife said and he turned his attention back to his first girl just in time for a proper birthday kiss.

"I guess I can't complain too much about being woken up early if this is how it happens." he mumbled into her lips."Why don't you wake me up like this every morning?"

"Because we have a two year old who enjoys waking up at the crack of dawn and I need my rest since your second offspring is still cooking."

"And how is this little guy doing?" he asked rubbing her stomach.

"Happy to be inside his mother's stomach and would really like to eat now. So why don't you get that cute little butt of yours out of bed and into our kitchen."

"Hey you can't boss me around, it's my birthday."

"I'm sorry. Will you please get out of bed so that we can have a birthday breakfast with you?"

"Bacon Daddy!" their daughter shouted peaking her head into the room making both of them laugh.

"Well if there's bacon."

He pushed himself out of bed and with a final good morning kiss to his wife he ran to the doorway where his little girl was still standing and threw her over his shoulder. He waited for his other girl to walk over to him and took her hand so they could walk downstairs together.


	11. Sunset Stroll

School had just started up again which meant the beach was finally empty again. During the summer months it was packed with teens, tourists, and families enjoying their freedom, which they too had enjoyed when they were young.

Now that they had two young kids the appeal of the beach during peak season wasn't that appealing. They also had to take into account that she had been pregnant and given birth in July which left even less time for them to go.

He had wanted to make up for lost time, it had been the first summer in years that he hadn't been on his board. She had told him he could go out, but first he said he didn't want to be in the middle of the ocean when she went into labor and after didn't want her to be alone with a newborn and three year old.

When he had suggested a sunset walk on the beach she couldn't say no to him because he had done so much for them this summer, even though she thought it was a little too soon to take the baby there. He got everything prepared for their walk ending with placing their son into the Baby Bjorn, the one that had been a gift when they first had their daughter and she never gave it away.

The little family was off on their way, she carrying the diaper baby and holding their daughter's hand while he carried their son. The sun was just starting to set as they stepped foot onto the sand. She quickly took off her daughter's sandals and put them in the bag before they got lost. Since it was just them on the beach they allowed the toddler to walk on her own. She would run up a little ways ahead of them and stand patiently while her parents caught up to her before running off again.

"How's he doing?" she asked leaning over to get a peak of her son.

"Sound asleep."

"But you know he'll be wide awake and screaming as soon as we get home."

"That's because he doesn't have the sound of the ocean lulling him to sleep, he takes after his dad that way."

"Does he now?" she gave him a look.

He ignored her and instead ran a gentle hand over their son's head. She loved how her husband looked holding their child. It didn't matter if it was their little girl or their newborn son. It made him look complete and more attractive, which she didn't think was possible. He was meant to be a dad.

"Mommy Daddy you coming!" their daughter shouted.

"We're right behind you baby!" he shouted back, the baby didn't stir at the loud noise.

She picked up his tiny hand and brought it to her lips. She couldn't stop touching and kissing him. Even two months in she had trouble wrapping her brain around the fact that she now had two kids and needed to touch him to remind herself that this was all very real. Though the 2:00 AM feedings were also a great reminder.

She turned around and saw her little girl standing impatiently waiting for her parents to catch up. She started walking towards quickening her pace and just as the three year old was about to start walking again she snatched her up.

"Mommy!" she squealed happily.

"Tell Daddy and James to hurry up."

"Hurry up!" she shouted.

"We're trying, but you're little brother keeps dragging me down. He's not helping out the team much."

He finally made it over to where his girls were standing and the youngest leaned over to give him and her little brother a kiss before wiggling out of her mother's arms. As soon as her feet touched the sand she was off and of course they followed behind.

She knew that they would have to turn back soon, her mothering instincts were starting to set in and she knew they shouldn't have the baby outside for too much longer after the sun went all the way down. She pushed those fears aside though and focused on the moment.

She focused on the beautiful little girl a few feet away waiting for them and how her husband looked at the little bundled strapped to his chest. She couldn't hear what he was whispering to the baby, but she was able to see every kiss he placed on his head. Even with her worries the moment was perfect.


	12. Backyard Cookout

She had no idea how her father got her to agree to this. She was due any day now, though she had a feeling that she would go over like her first pregnancy, and felt uncomfortable and bloated.

All she wanted to do was lie around the house or prepare for the baby. Every time she thought she had everything ready she remembered something else. Plus now she had a three year old and wanted to make sure she was ready for the change in their life as well.

Which was part of how her dad convinced her to come over for a final cook out before the new baby was born. Her husband agreed that it was a good idea too, fresh air would do all of them good and maybe even motivate the baby to come out faster. They both knew the second part was a lie, but she went along with it anyway.

This was how she ended up on a lawn chair in her dad's backyard. She had tried standing to talk with her friends, but everyone told her to lie down. For once she didn't argue with them, that's how painful it was.

Instead of being part of the action she was an observer of it. Well mostly of her daughter making rounds amongst the adults. She was now able to hold a conversation with them and while she couldn't hear what they were talking about she could see how happy her daughter was talking to her friends.

Her favorite was watching her dad with his granddaughter. She had always known he was a good father, he had raised her after all, but it was interesting to see the relationship from an outsider's perspective. Anytime he wasn't manning the grill he had the little girl in his arms. She loved it of course laughing as he scooped her up or when he wouldn't let her go.

He had just set her on the grass and whispered something in her ear. She watched her daughter nod her head in agreement to whatever he said and then she took off straight towards her mother.

"Are you having fun?" she asked the three year old.

"Yes Mommy." she smiled and climbed onto the chair.

She pulled the little girl in close, or as close as possible with her bugling stomach. She really couldn't wait to get ride of that so she couldn't properly cuddle with her daughter again.

"Are you lonely?" she asked suddenly.

"Why would you ask that?"

"Cause Grandpa told me so."

"Well you can tell him that I am perfectly content right here on this chair."

"What does content mean?"

"It means I am very happy. Now why don't you go attack Wallace and your Daddy, they look like they need a good surprise."

"Okay Mommy."

The little girl gave her mother a kiss on the cheek and a kiss on her belly plus said I love you to her little brother. She hopped down off the chair and ran off attaching herself to her father and pseudo uncle's legs.

She sat back on her chair and laughed at their faces from being startled by a three year old. She was totally fine not being part of the crowd, plus with the squirming little boy inside her stomach she was never alone.


	13. Family Pictures

Their house was covered in family pictures. Every wall and shelf had a least one picture featuring a member of their family. There was no rhyme or reason to the pictures either, she didn't like to over think the placement of them or make them match. She liked it better that way, to her it part of what made their house a home.

Of course there were none of those Sears or overly posed family portraits in the house. A majority of the pictures were action shots of her telling the kids to smile or capturing a sweet moment between them and their father.

They did have posed ones of course, though they were rare to capture. Not because they had a thing against them, but it was nearly impossible to get a good one with all four of them looking at the camera and smiling.

Someone was always looking the wrong way or blinking and then add in a wiggly child made it even more chaotic. The parents weren't innocent either with their snide remarks and whining, it was sometimes hard to tell if the children or parents were worse.

There were thousands of pictures on their computers as well. They would all be on the walls of course if they had any room to spare. She realized she had a problem with taking too many pictures when she burned through one of her largest memory cards the first week her daughter was born. She did slow down a little, but not too much. She wanted to capture every moment from the first bath down to the first crying fit.

It was also nice to take pictures of people she loved instead of using them for crumbling relationships. It was a waste to have such a nice camera and only use it for work.

Now she had perfect documentation of her children's growth. She hung each picture proudly on the wall. If anyone came into their home they would not question the love that this family had for one another. You could see it in the way that they smiled or their eyes shone caught in a moment when they didn't see the camera.

Each picture told a different story telling the tale of how this family came to be.


	14. Daughter's Nightmares

Nightmares were unfortunately a common occurrence in their house. The two of them had been plagued with them for years, tormented by all the terrible events that had happened in their youth. They had grown used to them by now and knew how to comfort the other when they woke up with that panic look in their eyes.

What they didn't know how to do was help their daughter. No one knew what caused the little girl to have such violent dreams. They did their best to protect her from the big bad world, but still things got through the cracks. She felt every little pain and it all stuck with her.

They woke up to her shrieking and he was the first to react jumping out of bed and running to her room. She was sitting up in bed when he turned on the lights. Her eyes were wide and filled with too much fear for a five year old. As soon as she saw that her dad was in the room she burst into tears.

"It's okay Charlotte it's only a dream." he said in a soothing tone quickly closing the gap between them and taking his daughter into his arms. "I've got you."

She clung to him as her little body shook from the sobs. He easily picked her up out of bed and carried her out of the bedroom. He ran a hand up and down her back as he continued to kiss her sweaty brow whispering you're okay over and over again.

He walked them into his bedroom where her mother was waiting with a cool rag ready to wipe away the sweat and tears. In the presence of both of her parents she finally began to calm down.

He laid down in bed, never breaking his hold on his little girl as he draped her over his chest. His wife laid down next to the pair and took over rubbing their daughter's back. The violent sobs that had plagued her body before became regular tears and hiccups until finally she drifted off to sleep again.

She let out a sigh of relief, "Thank G-d tonight was an easy night."

There had been one too many nights where they hadn't been able to calm down the child. For hours she would cry and cling to her parents, nothing they did would soothe her. Those were the nights they hated. The felt terrible and useless unable to comfort their daughter from whatever had scared her.

"I wish we knew what her dreams were about maybe then we could help her." he said looking over at his wife.

"Me too. We need to get them to stop Logan. I can't take seeing her in pain anymore, I want to take it away."

"We're going to figure this out Veronica. Somehow we're going to make them stop even if she has to sleep with us every night."

She let out a snort, "Oh yeah I'm sure that would go over well when she's a teenager."

"At least James doesn't suffer from these night terrors or wake up from her screaming. That kid sleeps like a log." he added.

It was something they were both grateful for, they didn't know what they would do if they had two children plagued by nightmares.

"For now be thankful that tonight we got her back to sleep easily."

"Tomorrow I'm going to start research on how to help her." she said rolling onto her side so she was pressed up next to him and wrapped an arm around her daughter's back.

He stayed awake a little longer as he watched over both his girls. He hated seeing his family in pain and would do anything to get rid of it. For now all three members were peacefully asleep, which meant he got to rest. He closed his eyes and allowed the sounds of his wife and daughter's breathing to lull him back to sleep.


	15. Friend's Wedding

They were off to San Diego for a wedding. It was for one of his close friend's from the Navy, one that he had kept in contact with over the years. He had told them to bring the kids along, and for that reason they couldn't decline the invitation.

He decided they should make a long weekend out of the trip. They hadn't gone on a family vacation with the four of them, so it would be a good to test out the waters of traveling with two kids.

They packed up her car with far too much luggage for their four day trip, but she wanted to be prepared for anything that could happen. He did remind her that if they forgot something they could go out and buy it, but she didn't care.

The wedding ceremony took place on a Saturday night just as the sun was starting to set. She was thankful that their kids were well behaved during it. Their daughter was mesmerized by the bride's white dress and the flowers, while their son happily sat on his lap gnawing on her lipstick tube.

Thanks to the mild weather in San Diego the party was held in a tent outside. He walked around saying hello to old friends and proudly showed off his family. The girl he had talked about since he joined the Navy and the two beautiful children they now had.

Their little boy was all about the new faces saying hello to him. He gave them his best gummy smile and waved his chubby arms around every time a new person greeted him. Their girl was a little more reserved choosing to hide behind her daddy's leg and giving them a small wave and smile. Even after he had picked her up, partly out of fear that she would get stepped on, she continued to rest her head on his shoulder when his friends came over to them.

She had gone to the bathroom, both to feed and change the baby, shortly after the newlyweds had cut the cake. It was way past his bed time and she was hoping that he would fall asleep so they wouldn't have to deal with an ornery baby.

She rocked him gently as she walked back to the tent watching as his eye lids fluttered close. The bright yellow stroller was waiting by her chair, but she wasn't ready to part with her baby just yet. He was getting big now and from past experience knew that moments like this one would soon become a rarity.

She scanned the area looking for the rest of her family when she spotted them on the dance floor. Their little girl, dressed in a light blue dress with a big ribbon in the back, was dancing on her daddy's feet. She still had on her black Mary Jane's which were probably scuffing up his good shoes, but she knew he didn't care.

She had a look of concentration on her face as they danced even though she wasn't doing any of the work. He must have noticed it too because he swooped the four year old up in his arms and spun them around. She let out a squeal of happiness and giggles and the sudden change.

"Again Daddy!" she heard her little girl shout.

Of course he could never say no to her and he picked her up one more time spinning them in many fast circles. He kept her in his arms afterwards and the two swayed side to side. Their daughter was tall for her age and very thin, she took after her father that way. But in her daddy's arms she looked tiny.

She watched him walk over to their table, their daughter draped over his shoulder.

"Looks like we wore out both kids." he said indicating to the baby in her arms.

"I'm not tired." their daughter mumbled into his shoulder.

"Of course you're not." he laughed and pressed a kiss to her blonde curls.

"Want to head out?" she asked.

"Yeah let me just go say goodbye to Brad."

He headed off in the direction of the new husband and wife still carrying their daughter. She carefully laid the baby in the car seat and got him buckled up all without waking him. Successfully transferring sleeping babies was a skill that she never knew she needed and was now very proud of.

"Ready?" he asked when he came back.

"Let's go."

With him carrying their sleeping daughter and her pushing the stroller that held their sleeping son, the family was off to their car to head back to the hotel. They had been a little reluctant to go at first, but it had turned out to be a fun evening.


	16. Night Away

They had agreed that they needed a night away from the baby. It was both for their benefit and their daughter's. They didn't want her to become one of those children that cried every time she was separated from her parents and figured it was best to start the process now. They also needed a full night off parent duty. As much as they loved their baby, they needed a night alone together.

Her father was the perfect candidate for taking care of their daughter for the night. There wasn't anyone they trusted more than him, and he was eager to do it too.

She had packed the diaper bag with enough baby items to last an entire week. To say she was nervous about this first night away was an understatement. She wouldn't tell anyone that though, she needed this night out for many reasons. She just hadn't expected it to be this hard, and she hadn't even left the baby yet.

Together the parents drove to her father's house. They were going out to dinner right after they dropped the baby off. He said goodbye to his daughter in the car giving her enough kisses to last the night.

With the baby on her hip and the diaper bag slung over the other shoulder she headed into the house where her dad was eagerly waiting them.

"There's my girl." he said taking the smiling baby into his arms.

"It's nice to see you too Dad." she said sarcastically dropping the bag on the ground.

"Sorry, but you have been replaced by another little blonde girl. But don't worry you'll always be my favorite daughter."

She rolled her eyes, "Thanks." She didn't really mind being replaced by her daughter. Who could blame him, she had the world's most perfect baby.

"So everything is in the diaper bag. Bottles, milk, diapers, clothes, toys, her favorite blanket. And if you need anything, or something happens, or Charlotte starts to freak out just call and we'll come get her. And…"

"Veronica you know I have done this before." he laughed interrupting her.

"I know but…"

"No buts. Charlotte is going to be fine. We're going to have a great time together aren't we?" he turned to the baby in his arms. She smiled back at her grandfather and gave him a squeal of happiness. "See she's ready for this."

"I know she is, I'm just nervous that's all." she finally admitted.

"There is nothing wrong with that, it's to be expected. But you and Charlotte need this and she will be right here at the crack of dawn when you come pick her up. " He pulled his daughter to his chest and gave her a kiss on the head. "Now go enjoy a night out with Logan. Maybe you two could get a start on making me another grand baby."

"Dad!" She gasped shocked that he would mention that.

He shrugged his shoulders, "I like being a grandfather and wouldn't mind having another one, even if it's father is Logan Echolls."

"We did make a good baby together." she said tickling her daughter's side wanting to hear her giggle.

"That's because she got all of the Mars' good genes."

She rolled her eyes as she kissed her daughter on the cheeks.

"Now go before I have to kick you out of here. Or worse you change your mind."

She gave her daughter one (more like one hundred) last kiss goodbye before leaving the house. She looked straight at the convertible in front of her and her man inside of it, she knew that if she turned around she would have to go back inside. Her plan was a little bit flawed though at the sight of the car seat in the back seat as a painful reminder of what she was missing.

"You ready?" he asked as she buckled herself in.

"As ready as I'll ever be." she answered.

"Don't worry tonight I'm going to make all your worries and guilt about leaving Charlotte behind."

"Oh so on that subject you'll never believe what my dad said."


	17. Workout Routine

Even though he wasn't in the Navy anymore he still continued a regimented workout routine. He did not want to let himself go and he enjoyed the structure it gave to his day. Plus he knew that his wife enjoyed the benefits of what it did to his muscles.

The routine he created wasn't particularity hard, but did need at least an hour to complete. He originally thought it would be easy to squeeze it into his day, which at first it was when his baby slept a majority of the day.

As she grew older and started to move around more it got hard to work out for one straight hour. Of course he didn't mind, he enjoyed being able to play with his baby more now that she was durable and able to do more things.

Adding a second baby into the mix didn't make things any easier. Sure his son slept, but his daughter was still on the move. He tried bringing them into the room where he kept his equipment, but she wanted to touch everything and he spent more time watching her than working out.

It was a fluke that he found a way to work out and play with his kids at the same time. He was trying to do push ups while watching his daughter when she decided to settle up next to him and attempt to do them as well. Attempt was the key word, she understood that she had to move up and down, but not that her back had to be flat or how to bend her arms when she went down.

"Good job Charlotte." he still complimented as she lowered herself half an inch before rising again.

It was better than nothing, and she was only four he couldn't expect her to be able to do perfect push ups. Side by side they got to work on their push ups. Of course whatever big sister did little brother had to do as well. The baby came to the other side of him and showed off what his idea of a push up was. His little butt was high in the air and he looked like he was about to try a headstand.

"What are you doing?" he laughed and playfully pushed his son over onto his side.

Both kids laughed at him. It was then the idea struck him on how to combine work and play. He had done it a few times before just for fun, but he didn't see why it couldn't be his new daddy work out routine.

"Come here." he grabbed the baby around his middle before he could crawl away.

He sat up on the floor and laid his son across his forearm. "One. Two. Three." he started counting as he started to do curls using the baby as a weight.

His son and daughter laughed at him even harder than before.

"Switch!" he shouted and put the baby on his other arm. "It's very important to do to same thing on both sides." he explained to the four year old.

She nodded her head in agreement and continued to laugh at him and her brother.

"My turn! My turn!" she shouted.

That sentence was both his favorite and least favorite thing. Anything one did the other had to do as well, no matter how tired her or his wife were. He knew it was only fair to both of his children, but he still got annoyed with that saying.

Today though he didn't mind, he had the perfect thing for his daughter. He placed the baby on the floor and hoped that he would be entertained enough by what his dad was about to do with his sister to not leave the room.

He grabbed his daughter and lied back on the floor. He positioned her so her back was lying on his hands, "Now stay very still." he explained before he started moving his arms up and down.

She laughed loudly, but never moved from her position on her daddy's hands. He counted out loud too just as he had done with her brother.

When he felt he had done enough he gently lowered her to his stomach so that he could hug her.

"That was fun Daddy." she told him.

"Yes it was. And maybe if you're good we'll do it again tomorrow."

Her eyes shone brightly at his suggestion and nodded her head vigorously. He did plan on doing it again. Anything that he could involve his kids in he did, even if he had to go out of his way. They were a lot lighter than his weights and he would still have to work out with them later, but he wouldn't be in as much of a hurry to do that.

"Daddy James crawled again." his daughter told him.

He looked around the room and sure enough the baby was not around. Now that he was mobile they found it hard to keep him in the same room as the rest of the family.

"Let's go find your brother." he sighed and jumped up from the floor, his daughter still in his arms.

He had done his arms work out for the day and now it was onto cardio.


	18. Meeting Brother

"Are you ready?" he asked walking down the long hallway, his daughter in his arms.

"Yeah Daddy!" she cheered.

"Are you excited?"

"Yeah!" she cheered again. "I want to see him."

"I do too." he laughed and kissed his fist child's head.

It was still crazy to him that he now was the father to two children. To be fair his second child, his son, had only been in the world for a few hours now so he still needed time to wrap his brain around that.

Just like her first pregnancy she was almost two weeks over due when she finally started feeling contractions. They had put their daughter down for a nap saying that when she woke up grandpa would be with her and she would have a baby brother.

The labor and delivery was a lot shorter the second time around. It felt like they had just settled into the hospital when the doctor was telling her to push. He came out screaming and to them it looked like he was ready to take on the world, which wasn't surprising since he was a Echolls Mars kid.

After his wife and new baby were settled in he had called his father-in-law with the good news and said he would be home in the morning to pick up his daughter for a visit. And from the moment he stepped foot in the house all his little girl could talk about was seeing her brother.

"We're here." he announced entering the hospital room.

"Hey guys." she said a big smile on her face as she held the newest addition to their family.

"Hi Mommy." their daughter said her smile matching her mother's.

"Do you want to see him?"

"Yeah Mommy."

He walked over to the bed and gently placed her down next to her mother and brother.

"Charlotte I want you to meet your little brother James."

She peered into the bundle in her mother's arms to get a good look at his face. "Hi James." she then turned her head up to look at her parents. "I like him."

"You do?" she asked excitedly.

There had been a fear that their daughter would get jealous over her new sibling. She had spent three years being the only child and baby and they weren't sure how she would react to the change. They shouldn't have been surprised by her reaction, this new baby was another person to love and take care of which is all their daughter wanted to do.

"Yeah Mommy, he's cute." she said looking back down at the baby. "He's little."

"Yes is he, which is why we have to be very careful with him." he reminded her.

"I hold him?"

"Of course you can. Logan can you set her up?"

He helped move his daughter so she was sitting next to her mom with her back leaning up against the pillows. He told her to put her arms out and gently took the baby from his mother's arms and placed him in his sister's arms.

"Remember you have to be very gentle and make sure you support his head."

"I love him."she said her focus never leaving her brother.

"Logan give me the camera." she whispered so not to disturb their children.

He handed her the camera just in time to capture their daughter kissing her brother for the first time.

"We're never getting him out of her arms are we?" he joked looking down at his two perfect children.

"I'm sure once he starts crying she'll hand him over."

"I don't know she might just try and sooth him herself. Do you think we could leave all baby sitting duties to her?"

"If she wasn't three years old and could reach the changing table I would say yes."

He sat down at the edge of the bed with his family and watched his wife snap more pictures of their two children. Two children. It still sounded weird to even think about, yet it felt like the most right thing in the world.


	19. Father's Day

Father's Day was just as important as Mother's Day in their house. It was almost a competition between the two adults of who could outdo the other on the holidays. Of course they kids didn't notice or care, they were simply happy to make or buy things for their parents. Plus special meals that involved foods they didn't always eat was an added bonus.

He wasn't surprised to wake up to find that the other half of the bed was empty. When he got out of bed and walked into the dining room he was greeted by an eerily similar sight to what he and the kids had set up for Mother's Day.

At his place setting were the hand made cards and even a bouquet of flowers. He didn't know if he wife was serious or joking about those.

"Daddy!" he turned around at the sound of his children just in time for them to come barreling into him. "Happy Father's Day!"

"Thanks guys." he hugged them close to him, which was possible even though they were squishing him, and kissed both of their heads.

Even after he let go of them his children continued to cling to him. He didn't mind of course, he loved any sort of affection they gave him, but it was getting hard to breath.

"Aren't you going to help?" he asked when he saw their mother enter the room.

She shook her head, "Nah why ruin their gift. They put a lot of thought into squeezing you to death."

The children giggled and finally let go of their father.

"Can we eat Daddy?" his son asked. "I'm starving."

"You're always hungry. And it's Dad's day he decides when we eat." his daughter explained to her little bother.

He couldn't help but laugh, "Don't worry Charlotte I am hungry so we can eat. Go sit down."

The kids cheered and ran to their respective places at the table. He decided to let them sit and wait a little bit longer while he properly said good morning to their mother.

"Happy Father's Day." she said giving him a kiss on the lips.

"Thank you. You know I'm having a strong feeling of deja vu, isn't the exactly what I did for Mother's Day?"

"Maybe, but don't worry I put my own little twist on it."

"Getting lazy are we Veronica? You had to go and copy me."

"As I said, don't worry I have a little something extra planned."

"How are you feeling?" he whispered as he kissed the side of her head.

It was a quick change in subject, but he wanted to know before they ate. He was well aware that she had been feeling off for a few days now, but neither of them wanted the kids to worry about it.

Well really their daughter who was instantly start playing doctor. She was worse than he was sometimes when it came to taking care of their family. He went back and forth between it being a good or bad thing. His wife did seem to listen to her more, probably to please the child more than take care of herself.

"I'm better and ready to celebrate." she smiled up at him.

He knew she wasn't telling him the whole truth. For now he would let it drop, mostly because the kids would start attacking if they didn't eat soon. Once they finished breakfast he would get the answer out of her.

Their children wasted no time eating once their parents joined them at the table. Only when their stomachs were full did they explain to their dad everything that they made him. When all the food was gone and presents were over she sent the kids off to the kitchen to start cleaning.

"I want you to head to the bedroom. I have a special gift for you in there." she told him once their son and daughter were out of ear shot.

He let out an exaggerated gasp, "Veronica it's not even 11 and the children are wide awake."

She slapped his arm, "Get your mind out of the gutter. It's not that, but it is something I want to give you without Charlotte and James around."

He walked up the stairs to their room sneaking glances behind him at his wife. He had no idea what she would want to give him alone in their room that didn't involve either of them naked.

He sat down at the edge of their bed and waited for her to arrive still pondering over what this secret gift was. She snuck into the room a few minutes later and it took a lot of effort from him to stay seated on the bed as she headed into the bathroom instead of joining him.

"Do you remember what you got me for Mother's Day?" she started with, a small rectangular box now held in her hands.

A smirk appeared on his face as he remembered their night and morning together. "How could I forget."

"Well it seems that your present is a gift that keeps on giving."

He gave her a puzzled look not knowing what she meant.

"Open the box." she said handing it to him.

His eyes never left her face and he unwrapped it and took off the lid. Only then did he glance down at the contents inside before his eyes jumped back to hers. Now it was her turn to have the confused and worried face on.

"When I started feeling sick the idea popped into my mind. I figured it wouldn't hurt to take the test even if it was really early and well…Happy Father's Day."

He looked down at the box again the positive pregnancy test staring up at him. He had no idea that his Mother's Day gift would lead to this.

"How do you feel about it? I know we didn't discuss having a third kid but…"

He didn't let her finish her thought as he took her face between his hands and kissed her, the box and test fell to the floor.

"I believe you have outdone what I gave you for Mother's Day." he said a huge smile on his face.

"You're happy?"

"Beyond happy. Veronica you're giving me another baby. This is the best Father's Day present ever." He kissed her once again to show just how happy he was. "Though it's going to be tough to top this one next year."

She playfully slapped his shoulder before leaning down and picking up the box and putting the pregnancy test back inside of it.

"I'm going to hide this again before the kids find it. I don't want to them stumbling upon it and thinking it's a thermometer or something."

"Yes that would be bad. I can't wait to tell them they are going to have a little brother or sister. Can you believe it we're going to have three of them?"

"Crazy right. Are you sure we're ready for this?"

"Probably not, but it's a little late for that now. Ready or not Logan we're having another baby."


	20. Telling Kids

After they finished eating dinner they told the kids they wanted to talk to them in the living room. The glances shared between the two did not go unnoticed. Family time after dinner wasn't uncommon, but that was usually after homework was finished and dishes were cleaned. Their children knew something was up, but they didn't know what.

"Did we do something?" their son asked nervously as they sat down on the couch.

"Why would you think that?" his mother asked.

"Because you only ever sit us down for a talk like this when we've done something bad."

She looked over at her daughter who also looked scared and nervous. She almost felt guilty for talking to them this way.

"We promise you two did nothing wrong." their father spoke up.

"Then why are we here?" their daughter asked still not convinced.

"It's good news this time nothing bad." he added, which seemed to cause more confusion on the children's faces.

"You know that Dad and I love you right?" she started with, it sounded like something that would come from a parenting book.

The kids nodded their heads and mumbled yeah under the breath. They seemed more scared than before.

She looked over at her husband for support, he nodded his head and gave her a big smile letting her know it was time to quit stalling and just say it.

"We are going to have another baby."

The kids stared at her, eyes and mouths wide open.

Her daughter was the first to speak, "What?"

"Mom's pregnant." their father added.

"Are you serious?" her son asked next.

"Why would I joke about this?"

That seemed to break the spell as they daughter threw herself upon both her parents pulling them into a group hug.

"So I take it that you're happy?" she asked laughing at the eight year old's enthusiasm.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"What do you think about it James?" he peered over at his son still sitting on the couch.

He shrugged his shoulders, "It's cool I guess."

He pushed his daughter onto her mother's lap and patted his own indicating he wanted his son to join them. Once he was settled on his dad's legs he gave him a kiss on the head.

"I know it's a lot to take in, but I promise it's only going to make our family better. And you have plenty of time to get used to it, the baby's not going to come for another seven months."

"That's a long time."

"It has to properly cook in Mommy's stomach."

Both kids gave him a strange look which only made the adults laugh.

"It's just an expression, the baby doesn't really cook. It just grows all it's body parts."

"That's weird." their son said.

"Tell me about, and you haven't even heard about how to baby is born yet."

"And we are not going to talk about that tonight either. One big family discussion per night." she added, she wasn't ready for that whole part of the having a baby conversation.

"You're not going to be the baby anymore James." his sister spoke up.

"Yeah, how does that feel?" his mother asked next.

Again he shrugged, "I don't know. I guess it will be okay."

"Too many big questions late at night?" his dad asked.

"No I'm almost five now I can handle it. I even have a girlfriend."

"What does that have to do with anything?" his sister asked.

"It proves I'm not a little anymore."

"James you've had a 'girlfriend' since you started preschool. That does help your case." his mother laughed.

"Just don't go make any babies just yet." his father chimed in.

"I don't even know how to make babies."

"And I told you we are saving that talk for another night. We want to keep tonight happy and not get into the deep stuff."


	21. Valentine's Day

**Thank you so much for all the kind words! I'm glad you all like these little drabbles. As a heads up, there will be no new updates for a week. I am leaving for Comic Con tonight and am not bringing my laptop with me. **

"I think this may be my favorite Valentine's Day." he thought out loud.

"Really? Cause at this moment it's ranking pretty low on mine." she shot back.

"Right now I'm on a date with my two favorite girls in the world what could be better?"

"Dad I haven't even turned nine yet and I know waiting in a hospital room is not a date." their daughter spoke up from her position on the couch.

Like the good student that she was, she was doing the homework that was due tomorrow. She took after her mother that way. He told her she could do it later that night when things quieted down, but she explained that she would still be too excited to do it then.

"I don't think Mom is enjoying our date too well." his daughter went onto add.

He quickly turned his attention back onto his wife as another contraction hit her. It wasn't as bad as before now that she had the epidural, but labor still wasn't a walk in the park.

"Are you sad you're missing your Valentine's Day party for this?" she asked once the contraction was over.

"Of course not! I'll have a another party next year. I might not get another chance to see my little brother or sister being born."

"And you're still okay with all of this right? The gruesome part hasn't even happened yet" he explained to her.

He had carefully watched his oldest since she entered the room. Actually seeing her mother in labor and the actual delivery was very different from them explaining it to her. He didn't want her to be scarred from this or too worried about her mother.

He could see the worry etched on her face during each contraction and constantly asking her mom if she was okay. It would be cute if he wasn't so nervous about how his little girl was handling all of this.

"Yes Dad I want to be here. I'm not scared."

He walked away from his wife to kiss his daughter on the head. His children never ceased to amaze him.

"This baby is the gift that keeps on giving." he explained sitting down on the couch so he could properly hold his daughter.

His wife gave a little snort at his comment.

"What does that mean?" his other girl asked.

"Well it was conceived on Mother's Day, your Mom told me she was pregnant on Father's Day, and now the baby is being born on Valentine's Day."

Her nose wrinkled at the mention of the word conception, "Ew I did not need to know that."

"I think it's time. I need to push." his wife spoke up as another contraction hit her.

The two ran to her side as he paged for a nurse to come in.

"Is it really going to happen?" she asked sounding excited and nervous.

"It is. So last chance to bow out."

"No way, the best part is about to happen."

A nurse came in to check her progress and sure enough she was fully dilated and ready to have the baby.

He got his daughter propped up next to her mother's head and beside him. She leaned down and kissed her mom on the head a tentative smile on her face.

"Are you ready for this Charlotte?" she asked.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"It's my third time having a baby, it's old news."

A real smile appeared on the nine year old's face, the first one she had since she entered the hospital room.

The nurse helped her get her legs into position and the doctor told her to push on the next contraction. He had one arm around her shoulder for support as his daughter held onto his arms. He kept looking between his two girl's face and where the new life was about to be brought in. He was surprised to find that his daughter was doing the same thing.

"Are you sure you want to look?"

"Yeah." she replied once again surprising him.

Their new baby's head finally appeared, then it's shoulders, and finally a whole baby.

"It's a girl." the doctor said as she put the baby onto her mother's chest.

His eyes and head were turning everywhere trying to capture his family's reaction to the newest member and just looking at her as well.

His first daughter had a look of awe on her face, one that mirrored his own. His wife too had the same look mixed with tears in her eyes.

"We have another daughter." he cried. "And you have a sister."

"I have a sister!" his daughter repeated her eyes never leaving the new baby.

As soon as his eye's met his wife's he leaned down and kissed her, "You did it."

"We have three kids." she sighed looking at her first daughter leaning against her father and then at the daughter in her arms.

His eyes followed hers and added a bonus kiss to his first daughter's head. He was waiting for the baby to be fully clean before he kissed her.

"She's so cute and little." the oldest cooed.

"That she is. She's perfect."

"She still doesn't have a name though does she?"

"Let's fawn over her some more and give your mother a little more time to rest before we have that conversation."


	22. Late Night

She had a late night at the office, a custody battle that was getting messier by the minute. She hated working late when her family was at home and missing out on their evening traditions.

The days where she would have all three children willing to spend time with them after dinner were limited. She knew soon her oldest would choose the quiet of her bedroom to do her homework instead of the noisy dining room table. It was still a few years away, but she knew that it would still come too quickly for her.

She entered the dark house, she expected everyone to be in bed by now. She had called her husband explaining the situation and to say goodnight to the kids. She told him to go to bed, but she had a feeling that he hadn't listen. He never did.

The faint glow of the television came from the living room. She didn't need to use her PI skills to know that he was in there.

She leaned up against the door frame when she saw the scene in the living room, the first real smile of the day appearing on her face. Her husband was lying on his back in the middle of the floor and their baby laying on his chest, both of them fast asleep.

The sight warmed her heart and almost made her question going back to work just so she could see more of them. She took out her phone and snapped a picture of the two. She knew that she would need to look at this picture many times to help her get through the coming days.

Not able to stay away any longer she pocketed her phone and joined the two members of her family on the carpet. Laying down on her side she laid close to her husband and gently put her arm around the baby so not to wake her. Of course he noticed her presence right away and blinked his eyes trying to wake up.

"What time is it?" he mumbled sleepily looking over at her.

"Late." she answered.

She actually didn't know what time it was, she stopped looking at the clock after she knew her kids were safely in their beds.

"Where are the other two?" she asked.

"They should be in their beds sleeping. And this one would be in there too except she decided to scream bloody murder when I tried to put her in the crib. I didn't want her to wake up Charlotte or James so we came down here and I guess we fell asleep."

"I'm sorry I wasn't here."

"It's okay you had a job to do. How is it going?"

She let out a frustrated sigh, "It's going nowhere. I thought it was an easy child abuse case and the mother just wanted to get away from the birth father, but there is something fishy about her new boyfriend. And so far the father had done nothing out of the ordinary, but I haven't seen him with his kid yet either. I just want what's best for this boy, I don't want him to end up in the wrong home."

"You will don't worry, you always get the right guy."

"Can we please just go to bed. I'm exhausted and the only way I'll stop thinking is if I'm lying with you."

"Of course."

She took their daughter off of his chest as she stood up off the floor. She needed to contact to remind herself that her children were safe and loved and would never have to worry about that.

He wrapped his arm around her allowing her body to rest against his as they walked up the stairs to the bedrooms. She would need to check on her other two as well plus put their youngest in her crib, where she would hopefully stay asleep.

She couldn't go to sleep now without kissing her children goodnight, it was a habit that she never wanted to quit. It was another reminder of how lucky she was to have a complete family and one that she would never take for granted.


	23. Store Encounter

He hadn't actually needed anything at the grocery store, but he needed an excuse to get them out of the house. The baby was finally asleep and he knew his wife needed a nap too and their three year old probably wouldn't allow for that.

Their daughter hadn't actually been bad about the new transition from being an only child to being a big sister, actually it was the exact opposite. Which was where their problem lied. She wanted to be with the new baby all the time helping out anyway that she could. Except for dirty diapers, she did draw the line there.

As much as they loved how much she enjoyed being a big sister, it could be exhausting having the two kids around all the time. He knew their mother needed a moment of silence and alone time to regroup, which is why he had picked up the three year old and said they was going to the store.

He wandered up and down the aisles looking for anything to buy as his daughter trailed behind him imitating his movements of looking at the shelves. So far all he had was diapers, ice cream, and fruity cereal.

"Do you think we need anything else?" he asked his daughter.

"Candy!" was her reply.

"I don't think you need any more sugar."

He had already said yes to the sugary cereal something they normally tried to stay away from, but his daughter needed a little treat for coming with him and not being overly jealous of the new baby.

"What about for James?"

"Remember he can't eat big people food yet like we can."

"He has to drink Mommy's milk?"

He didn't know whether to laugh or shake his head at her question, "Yes he can only eat that for now. But soon he'll be able to eat sugar like you."

After he made their purchases they headed back to his car, the bag of groceries in one arm and his daughter in the other.

"Logan?" a voice from behind him said making him stop short.

He had hoped that he would never hear that voice again. His body turned around to see the source before he could process what doing that would mean.

"Hi Piz." he choked out and put on a smile pretending to be happy to see the old college acquaintance.

He felt his daughter's arms tighten around his neck. She had never met the man before, but knew that her daddy was not happy.

"How are you?" he asked, he seemed oblivious to the tension.

He shrugged trying to figure out the best thing to say so he could leave, "Tired but can't complain. What are you doing here?"

"Job brought me out here and I thought I would take a trip down memory lane and visit Neptune."

He knew that this little trip wasn't just to visit his old college town, he could read between the lines. He knew that he wanted to see what his old girlfriend was up to, the woman who was now very much taken.

His daughter shifted in his arms to get a look at the stranger and he felt a bit of satisfaction as he watched the man's face change as he saw the little girl for the first time. From one glance it was obvious to anyone who her mother was.

"Is she yours?" he asked.

He had to bite back a snarky comment at his stupid question. He had to pretend to be civil with him to set a good example for his little girl. "Yes she is. Charlotte can you say hi?"

She shook her head and buried it into her father's neck.

"Sorry she's a little shy." he lied.

Normally she was a social butterfly, or at least gave every new person a smile and a wave. She was feeding off of the nervous energy coming from her dad making her weary of the strange man.

"It's okay there. Can I ask how old she is?"

"Charlotte can you tell him hold old you are?"

She didn't pick up her head, but did hold up three fingers on her little hand.

"Wow three years old. I see you two didn't waste any time."

He shrugged his shoulder trying to not let the comment get to him. He was lucky his daughter was in his arms or else stronger words, and fists, would have been exchanged.

"We like to think of her as a welcome home present from when I returned from duty." he smiled not ashamed of boasting about how they ended up with their first child.

He felt no remorse at the look of shock that came on the other man's face.

"So how is Veronica?" he asked.

"Doing well actually. She's back at the house resting, having a baby is a lot of work plus all those sleepless nights."

"You have a second one?"

"Yes a boy, he was born a little over a week ago."

He was full on bragging now, but he didn't care. This was the man that had stolen his girlfriend from him and a major part of the reason why the two didn't talk for nine years.

"James can't have sugar he has to drink milk from Mommy's boob." his daughter spoke up leaving both men speechless.

"Kids say the darnedest things." he awkwardly laughed.

Of all the things for the little girl to say, she had to go with that. She couldn't even say hi, but had no problem saying where her little brother's food came from.

"Yeah they do. I should get going."

"Us too."

"Tell Veronica I say hi." he gave them a wave and headed off in the opposite direction.

He let out a breath of relief happy that he was finally gone and didn't have to make awkward small talk anymore. He couldn't wait to get home and tell his wife what had gone down.

"We go home Daddy?" she asked him.

"Of course."

"Can I have ice cream?"

"Maybe."

He was leaning towards a yes with that question, but didn't want to give it to her just yet. She did deserve a reward for getting the old college fling to leave. But he wasn't ready for a three year old on a sugar high just yet and didn't want to wake up his wife either.

Hopefully she was still napping, something that he could go for right now. Maybe he could convince their daughter to nap with them too. More like bribe her into doing with a promise of ice cream when they woke up.


	24. School Carnival

She remembered the end of the year carnival from when she went to elementary school, but she didn't remember it being as extreme. It wasn't her mind playing tricks on her either, she was almost positive that each year the parents on Neptune went out of their way, and budget, to make the carnival even more lavish than the year before.

It was still hard for her to wrap her mind around the fact that she was one of these parents now and that it was her tax money that was going to pay for the 5th bouncy house. She liked to believe that she and her husband weren't like the stereotypical Neptune parents, though she knew the real test would come when their kids became teenagers.

Her daughter had begged her to bring the baby claiming that her teacher and friends wanted to meet her. Now that the newest member of the family was a little older she didn't mind taking her out, really it was only the heat that made her worry.

She and her husband had come up with the comprise that he would go in the morning when they son's grade was at the carnival and she and the baby would go in the afternoon with their daughter. The kids agreed to the decision as well, both of them just happy to have a parent coming.

The day of the carnival arrived and her husband was off first. He arrived home at lunch time, but didn't tell her anything other than their son had a good time and ate lots of sweets. He explained that the kid didn't want to spoil it for his mother and made his dad promise he wouldn't spill.

When it was her turn to leave she put the baby in the car seat, who was lathered in sunscreen and had just been fed and changed. The two were off on the short car ride to the elementary school.

The parking lot was already filled with expensive cars, which she now easily blended in with with her BMW SUV. She still wasn't used to having a car that didn't stand out due to it's age and price tag, but at least it wasn't a mini van.

The carnival was already in full swing as she walked to the back fields, her youngest strapped to her chest in the Baby Bjorn. Parents and kids filled the blacktop and fields along with games, bouncy houses, food stands, and of course a DJ.

Her oldest daughter spotted her first and came jogging to meet her, the biggest smile on her face.

"You came!"she almost sounded surprised, even though they had confirmed it only a few hours ago. And knowing her husband was pretty sure he found her too and reminded her.

"Sorry we're late, but someone had a bit of a diaper explosion just as we were about to leave."

"I didn't need to know that." She peered in at her baby sister, "Hi Sophia."

The baby gave her a big smile and reached out her chubby little to grab her big sister's hand. It amazed her to see the instant bond her two daughter's had. Her oldest was so good with the almost four month old and the youngest always seemed better behaved with the nine year old.

"Come on Mom I want Ms. Anna to meet Sophia."

Her oldest grabbed her hand and pulled her through the mass of scantily clad mothers and their children.

"Ms. Anna look my Mom brought my baby sister Sophia."

The third grade teacher turned around and said hello before looking down at the baby.

"Thank you for bringing her. Charlotte has talked nonstop about her baby sister these past few months." the teacher said looking back up.

"It's no problem it's about time we start exposing her to all these germs anyway. Gotta build up that immune system." she half joked.

"She is just as adorable as Charlotte described in her journal. I can't wait for you to read them. Only a few weeks left until she gets to bring them home."

"I know, it's crazy how fast this year went by."

"It really is. Well, thank you again for bringing Sophia, it was nice to see you again."

The teacher gave her a little wave before walking off in the direction of another student. She had really liked her oldest daughter's third grader teacher, she was much better than the one she had last year. Hopefully she would still be working at their school when their son was in third grade so he too could have her.

"Mom I'm going to find my friend's okay?" her daughter told her.

"Go have fun. We'll be right here waiting over there for you."

The eldest gave the youngest a kiss on the head as she hugged her mother before she was off to find her little group of friends. She knew that they would want to see the baby too, everyone always did. The two of them stood off to the side, just as she had told her almost 4th grader, as they both took in the sights at the end of the year carnival.


	25. Jogging Revelations

He had started running when he first joined the Navy and found himself unable to stop. He liked the routine of it, how all his focus was on running heel to toe and his breathing. He could forget all his troubles as he ran, his anger evaporating. By the time he got home after a run he was usually too tired to fight anymore.

After his children were born he didn't stop, but instead had them join him when his wife wasn't around. When they were young he would push them in the bright yellow stroller, never once embarrassed of pushing it.

As they got a little older he had them running with him, all by choice of course. He enjoyed the company and sharing something he liked to do with them. Their runs were never long, their little legs and lungs unable to run the miles he usually did, but it was enough to make the family happy.

It had been a while since he had gone for a run, his wife had just gone back to work and the baby was rebelling against the change. His body was itching to get outside and when the first opportunity rose for him to get out he took it.

Quickly he changed into a pair of sweats and his running shoes.

"I'm going for a jog, anyone want to come?" He called out to the kids.

His eldest daughter shook her head no, but his son jumped up. He had taken to running like his father did. He was always eager to go out, to ease the excess energy that built up during the day, another trait that he had inherited from his father.

"Tell your mom where we went." He said to his daughter as he shut the front door.

The two started off at a steady pace in silence, their bodies warming up. They didn't need to speak or even think as the took their usual route. Only when they started on the main drag, the one that ran parallel to the beach, did they start to talk. It was mindless chatter at first, what his boy learned at school that day or what he and the baby did. It was usually latter in the run that the conversations got deeper.

It was a quip from his son, nothing out of the ordinary for his family, that sent him down memory lane. A conversation years ago that he had with his then girlfriend about that thing she and her dad had.

He didn't know why it was this exact moment that made him realize it, that he too finally had that thing with his kids. The thing that he never had with his family growing up and made him jealous every time he saw it.

He never thought he would have it, that it was something he never deserved. But here he was, nine years into fatherhood and joking around with his son. The kind of jokes that only families understood.

"What you thinking about old man?" his son asked breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Who you calling old? I'm not even in my 40's yet, I'm still in my prime."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"I bet you I can beat you to the pier."

"You're on!"

Before he could say anything his son was off at a full sprint down the boardwalk that led to the beach. The kid was fast, but he was faster thanks to his longer legs. It didn't take much effort before he caught up with the six year old and tackled him into the sand.

"Dad that's cheating! I was totally going to beat you." the boy cried out struggling to get out of his father's grip.

"In your dreams kid." he laughed pulling his son tighter into his chest and giving him a kiss on the head.

"Stop it Dad, you're embarrassing me."

"Sorry I didn't mean to tarnish your reputation." he laughed and let go of him.

The six year old jumped up and did a quick look around to see if anyone he knew was there, which made his dad laugh even harder.

"It's not funny." he pouted looking a lot like his mother.

"You're right it's not. I know how much trouble you would be in with the ladies if they caught your dad showing public affection."

"Thank you." the kid said back in a serious tone, unable to hear the sarcasm in his father's voice.

"Help an old man up will you? I think your mother's making lasagna tonight and I'm pretty sure she's making your grandfather's secret recipe. We don't want to be late."

"Mom said it's not a secret recipe, just extra cheese." his son said as he held out his hand to help his dad up.

The elder of the two did most of the work to stand up, he just liked to pretend that the kid could actually help him.

"You're right, but don't tell your grandpa that you know."

"Don't worry Mom's already sworn me and Charlotte to secrecy by penitently of dirty diaper duty."

"We better not go breaking that promise then."


	26. New Dog

They had talked about getting a dog for years, but the moment had never been right. First they had just gotten back together and of course the surprise pregnancy didn't help either. Then it was figuring out how to be parents, and of course they added a second child into the mix as well.

They had six years worth of time to get a dog. The kids begged for one like all kids do, but the moment never felt right. And then they had another baby, which meant another year of waiting.

Their eldest were patient, or as patient as two elementary school children could be. Any moment they saw to bring up getting a dog they did trying hard to lobby for why one would be good for their house and how their parents had promised.

He saw the look in his wife's eyes as well. She grew up with a dog, and while they hadn't been speaking at the time knew how much it hurt her when her father had to put her pit bull down.

He was the one that brought up the subject of a dog after all the kids had gone to sleep. He put up a good case saying the two oldest were ready for the responsibility and their baby was almost two now and they didn't need to worry as much about splitting the attention.

It hadn't taken much to convince her, actually the opposite. She was ready to start looking for puppies that moment, but he suggested that sleep was a better option.

They had agreed to rescue a dog, a pit bull of course. They didn't need a pure breed and it was better to adopt a dog that was in need of a forever home.

The kids were ecstatic when they learned the news and agreed to every condition their parents gave them about the dog. Though he had a strong feeling he and his wife would be doing most of the work. At least they had a fenced in backyard.

The five of them took to the adoption pages each night searching for their perfect dog. It had only taken a few days for them to find a male one and a half year old pit bull that they all fell in love with. They had set up a meeting with his foster home, in which they knew this was the dog for them.

It had only taken another week for the paper work to go through and then the white and brown dog was theirs. After school the family piled up into the SUV and drove the thirty minutes to pick up the newest member if their family.

He held the toddler in his arm and his other children and wife stood excitedly next to him. The foster mother had gone to the backyard to get their dog. He came running straight over to them as if knowing this was his forever home.

His oldest daughter put on his new collar, which held a temporary tag since they still hadn't decided on a name. Naming a dog proved to be just as difficult as naming a child. She proudly attached the leash as well and with a final wave and thank you the family was off to the car. The pit bull happily jumped into the back and gave his new owner a sloppy kiss on the face.

On the car ride home he kept glancing in his review mirror at his children. The three couldn't keep their hands off the dog, and he was not complaining about all the attention. He noticed his wife doing the same and knew she was yearning to get her hands on the puppy as well.

He wasn't sure why they had waited so long to make this decision. He usually gave in easily when he came to his family's happiness and this one put them over the moon. Without taking his eyes off the road he took his wife's hand into his own and squeezed it. So he wasn't the new puppy, but he understood her desire and inability to do anything about it.

She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, thanking him once again. He smiled as he looked over at his wife and the back at the kids just in time to see the dog plant one on the toddler, eliciting a loud squeal from her. Yeah this dog was exactly what their family needed.


	27. Zoo Trip

July was always a busy month for them. It was the month that he had come home in from his first tour after they got together. It was the month their first daughter was conceived. Most importantly, it was the month their son was born.

Since the kids didn't have school they always were doing things as a family. Each day was packed with the beach or mini vacations. Anything where they could all be together and celebrate what the month meant.

They also always asked their son what he wanted to do for his birthday. The kids always got to decide, he just lucked out that they didn't have to worry about school interfering with plans.

This year he decided he wanted to go to the San Diego Zoo. He had been into animals recently and what better way to celebrate then with them. Of course they agreed to it, when it came to birthday's it was hard to deny any request.

It would be the first real adventure in the baby as well, which is why they had invited her father along. They knew their son wouldn't mind, he loved his grandfather after all. The extra set of hands would be necessary at any given moment during peak season at the zoo.

She had packed the car the night before, filled with everything they could possibly need. They wanted to get on the road so they could get to the zoo right as it opened, their son's request. Her father even spent the night at their place to help out.

That morning she was up at the crack of dawn, mostly because of the baby. Once the five month old was fed she set about making breakfast for the family. She was too hyped up to go back to sleep, and had a feeling the youngest member wasn't keen on that idea either.

She made her son's favorite meal, french toast and bacon, while the baby watched from her seat on the counter. Everything was on the dining room table as her husband came down the stairs.

"Did you wake the kids up?" she asked leaning in for a morning kiss.

"Just did. James shot up like a rocket when he realized what today is. I gave them the privilege of waking your father up."

She laughed, "I'm sure he's loving that right now."

A few moments later their kids came running down the stairs, both of them dressed for a day at the zoo in shorts and t-shirts.

"Happy birthday James." she said and pulled her son into her arms.

He eagerly returned the hug, but she could feel his head turning towards the breakfast spread.

"I can't believe you're six years old." she sighed pulling him away to get a good look.

He was still her little boy, but a taller and not as chubby version. His once blonde hair was starting to darken and knew it wouldn't be long till it was the same shade as his father's.

"Before you know it he's gonna start loosing teeth and growing a beard." her husband joked.

"Daddy I'm not that old yet." he explained. "So can we eat now?"

"We have to wait for your grandfather."

"He said we can start without him."

"Good try, but you didn't even know I made you breakfast till you came down stairs."

"Sure I did, I could smell the bacon all the way up in my room."

She had to bite back a laugh, all of them did. That kid has a keen sense of smell when it came to food.

Thankfully her father came down the stairs and their son didn't have to wait any longer to eat.

After they finished they did a final check around the house making sure they didn't forget anything. They all piled into her car and were off to the zoo.

Since it was still early there were only a few other families walking around. Which was great because they wouldn't have to squeeze through the crowds, and also for their son's sake he didn't have to be embarrassed when his mom lathered him in sunscreen. If it wasn't so funny and so him, she would have been heartbroken over this reminder of how much her son was growing up.

Her son held onto his grandfather's hand the entire time as he led the family around to all the animals. She and her husband switched off between carrying the baby around their chest and the backpack filled with stuff. While their eldest daughter floated amongst the adults ready to help out.

By lunch time the place was starting to fill up, something their son did not like. It was getting harder for him to see the animals now that there were more children and adults taller than him. He had saved his favorite animals for last too. She did not like the pout that was forming on his face, especially on his birthday.

Her father must have had the same thoughts as her because he lifted the six year old up and placed him on his shoulders.

"You don't have to do that Dad, I don't want you to hurt your back." she whispered into his ear.

"I don't mind. The kids not that heavy, plus it's his birthday." he whispered back.

She squeezed her father's shoulder as a way of thanking him. Normally it would have been her husband to do that, but the baby had just fall asleep and they did not want to risk the transfer over to her chest.

After lunch and when their son had seen all of his favorite animals they decided to head back to the car, the family fully exhausted after their day. She now had the baby on her chest as her husband practically carried their daughter and her father carried their son.

Immediately after they pulled out of the parking lot the two oldest kids were fast asleep.

"Thanks again for coming Dad." she said turning around in her seat to face him.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss a day with these three. They grow up fast." he said back.

"That they do."

She turned back around and closed her eyes. She'd been up for hours now and deserved a nap. It would still be her son's birthday when she woke up, and all of them would be well rested for more celebrations.


	28. Homecoming Questions

After a full day in the hospital it was time for her and the baby to go home. She was both nervous and excited about this. She never liked hospitals, but it was nice having so many people around who knew how to take care of babies. Now she and the baby's father were on there own to take care of their daughter. It was the most terrifying thing in the world.

He had gone home that morning to clean their house and prepare for the new addition's homecoming. When he came back into the room both mother and daughter were dressed and ready to leave.

She sat in the backseat with the baby, unable to take her eyes off her. She even got a few more pictures in too documenting the first car ride. So she might have been turning into one of those parents, but she blamed it on the hormones and her adorable newborn.

He pulled into the garage of their new house and quickly got out of the car to help her out and then carefully took out the car seat. She followed behind them, both because she was sore and because she enjoyed how natural he looked carrying their daughter.

"Dad what are you doing here?" she asked surprised to see him sitting on the couch.

"I wanted to welcome you and Charlotte home of course." he smiled standing up to give her a hug. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just had a baby."

"Amazing how that works? Now hand my granddaughter over to me."

"And truth comes out. He isn't really here homecoming of his one and only daughter, but for the grandchild."

He shrugged unashamed of his true intentions of being at the house. The father was easy to comply though as he took his daughter out of the car seat and handed her to her grandfather.

"She's beautiful Veronica." he said sitting back down on the couch.

She nodded her head in agreement as she joined him looking down at the newest member of the family.

After a beat she asked, "Do you still think I'm wasting my life?"

He looked up at her confused, "What do you mean?"

"When I was working the Hayley Dewalt case, that girl whose boyfriend killed her during spring break. You told me you thought I was wasting my talent, brains, and entire life by dropping everything in New York to come back to Neptune to be a PI. Do you still believe that?"

He was quiet again for a moment thinking over his answer. The longer he took the more nervous she got.

"I do still believe you are better off as a big shot lawyer then some little PI, but no you are not wasting your life. How can I say you're wasting your life when coming back here created a new one. You're about to do something better than any old law job. And I am sure you will be using all of your talents and brains by raising this girl if she turns out anything like her mother."

That was the answer she had been searching for since the moment she told her father she was pregnant. The tears welled up in her eyes as she leaned her head on his shoulder to look down at her daughter. She felt his lips on her head and she let out a content sigh. He was right, being a mother was better than any law or PI job.

She heard the familiar sound of a camera clicking and looked up to see her baby's father standing with her camera.

"You left this in the car and since you've been documenting every little first in Charlotte's life I couldn't pass up this opportunity of three generations on the couch." he explained with a shrug.

She smiled as a way of thanking him. Even though she knew she looked terrible, she couldn't pass up another perfect picture opportunity. And she knew her dad would love to have a copy of it as well. What better way to show off your successful business than with a picture of the three generations running the place.


	29. Concerned Husband

He had called his father-in-law asking him to watch the kids for the night. Of course he said yes, even if it was on short notice. If he wasn't working a case he never missed an opportunity to hang out with his grandchildren.

He had dropped them off in front of the blue bungalow with their over night bags, and gave them each a kiss on the head telling them to be good for their grandfather. He gave his father-in-law a quick wave and a thank you before he was off again.

The older of the two men had noticed that his daughter was not present with him in the car making him wonder where she was. He didn't put too much thought into it though, he could easily pry an answer out of one of his grandchildren.

The following morning, well really it was closer to lunch time, he called up saying that he would pick the kids up in an hour. The grandfather promised to have the kids fed, packed, and waiting for him when the time came.

Exactly one hour later he pulled up in front of the house where his children were waiting on the front porch.

"Daddy!" the both yelled and ran over to great him.

"Did you have fun with grandpa?" he asked them.

They both nodded their heads yes in agreement.

"Before you start talking your dad's ear off about all the things we did, why don't you go inside and grab your bags."

The kids nodded their head in agreement and ran inside the house.

"So Veronica isn't feeling well?" he asked getting right to the point.

"Which one told you?"

"Charlotte. It wasn't hard, all I had to do was ask."

"Of course. Yeah she hasn't been feeling well. I actually left her back at the house napping, and hopefully she'll still be asleep when we get back."

"What's wrong with her?"

"Morning sickness, but it's worse than before. I don't know why this pregnancy is different from the last two, but she's been extra tired and nauseous and throwing up. I know she can't focus on herself and relax when the kids are around, which is why I asked if you could watch them for a night. I hope you didn't mind."

"Of course not, you know I'll watch those two any time you need me. Especially now. You sure you don't want them to stay for a little bit longer?"

"I want them to, but Veronica misses them and wants them home. I actually didn't tell her about any of this until after I called you and told the kids."

"So you tricked her into letting them come over?"

He shrugged unapologetic, "I knew she would say no, that we couldn't give you such short notice. But she needed to rest. Plus once the kids were hyped up about staying over there was no turning back."

"I understand, just please take care of her?"

"You know I will. Will you let me know how she is tomorrow at work? She's instating on going even though I told her she should stay home."

"That's Veronica for you, but I will."

"Please first sign of anything abnormal, or she's too tired, I'll come right over and take her home."

"Don't worry Logan I know how to take care of my daughter when she's sick."

"I know you do, I'm just…worried about her and this baby."

"I am too, and between the two of us and those two kids we are going to get her through the next five months without anything bad happening to her or the baby."

He let out a sigh and nodded his head in agreement. The older man could see that this pregnancy was taking a toll on him too, the stress of worrying about his wife while taking care of their two children was getting to him. He wouldn't say anything though, no one in this family ever did.

He put a hand on his son-in-law's shoulder "You're doing a good job Logan."

He gave him a weak smile just as his two kids came running out of the house.

"You ready to go?" he asked putting back up the mask of being the strong parent.

He had his little moment of weakness, but it was time to put on his brave face again. He couldn't let the kids know how much he was worried about their mom.

They shouted yes as they threw their backpacks into the car.

"Say goodbye and thank you to your grandpa."

They each gave him a big hug as they shouted thank you at the top of their lungs. It was a good thing it was the afternoon or else they would have woken the whole street up.

"Maybe next weekend you guys can come over again?" he suggested.

The kids eyes lit up at the idea. The two older men shared a look, knowing what his suggestion really meant.

"Thank you Mr. Mars." he said.

The family of three gave a final wave and got into the convertible.

Once the house was out of sight his son spoke up from the backseat, "Dad why do you call Grandpa Mr. Mars?"


	30. Teething Pains

Their baby was teething and it was fun for no one in the house. Their usually sweet daughter was ornery and was not letting anyone sleep. It pained them to see her in such pain and wanted those teeth to come in already.

They tried everything to help sooth her and usually during the day they their daughter was back to her happy self. At night things were a different story. They didn't like to keep things in the crib with her for fear of choking, which left her with nothing to gnaw on when she needed some relief. The pain would wake her up and it could take them hours to get her to fall back asleep again.

This night was particularly brutal. They had quickly gotten into the habit of going to bed when she did so they could get as much sleep before she woke. They had maybe gotten an hour our two in before the crying began.

The first time they were able to sooth her back to sleep, and they quickly followed her lead. She woke up crying a second time, they didn't bother counting how much sleep they had gotten, but they didn't get off as easy.

She was the first one out of bed and picked her daughter up from the pack'n play. The crying did not let up from the transition to her mother's arms, which made her feel worse.

"Does she feel warm to you?" she asked walking over to his side of the bed.

He laid his hand against his daughter's head, "yeah a little."

She had read online that it wasn't uncommon for babies to have low grade fevers while teething, but she still didn't like it. She wished they could just pull the teeth through the gums to stop the torture.

"Do you want me to get her anything?" he asked.

"Can you get us a cool washcloth, the thermometer, and baby Tylenol please."

He quickly got up out of bed and gave each of his girls a kiss on the head before going into the bathroom. She and the still crying baby headed over to the rocking chair and gently started to rock them. She placed a finger in the baby's mouth, she could feel how swollen her gums were. It helped slow down the crying and not wanting to disturb the baby did not remove her finger.

He came back into the bedroom with everything she had asked him to bring. She quickly removed her finger and wrapped it in to wet washcloth before putting it back on the baby's gums.

Not wanting to cause the baby anymore discomfort he took her temperature from under the arm. It beeped a few seconds later and gave confirmation to what the suspected, their daughter had a fever. Thankfully it was low enough that they didn't have to worry too much about it.

Next came the tricky part, giving her the medicine. She watched as he filled the syringe up with the correct dosage and sat the baby up on her lap. With a nod she removed her finger and held their daughter's head as he squirted the Tylenol into her mouth.

She praised the baby, they had managed to get most of it in her this time, as she cleaned up the excess that she had spit up. Once that was taken care of she put the washcloth back before there was time for the crying to start up again.

He let out a sigh of relief as he sat down on the floor in front of his family. He ran a hand up and down his baby's fine blonde hair as she gnawed on the wet rag.

"Is she falling asleep?" he asked in a hushed tone after a few moments.

"No, but at least she is quiet and hopefully the pain is easing up. You should go to sleep though, at least one of us should."

"Not gonna happen."

He stood up from the floor and signified for her to as well. He sat down on the rocking chair before pulling his two girls onto his lap.

"If you need a break from her using your finger as a chew toy let me know." he whispered into her ear before kissing it.

She nodded her head and leaned back against him. Their daughter looked up at them with wide eyes, ones that did not look like they were ready to fall back to sleep. At least the three of them were content right now, even if they were looking at another sleepless night.


	31. Car Memoires

Her father had invited them over for dinner. Which quickly turned into a small gathering since he invited more than just the three of them over. It was fun having everyone in the small house with their daughter as the star of the show. They all knew she was the reason everyone agreed to come over on such short notice. No on passed up the chance to hang out with the one year old.

The family were the last to leave helping him clean up after dinner. Their daughter had stayed awake with them, and was not too happy about it either. They tried to put her down to sleep, but she was having none of that.

Not wanting to hear her cry anymore her grandfather picked her up and carried the baby on his hip. Only in his arms did she stop crying and placed her head on his shoulders as the adults went about cleaning.

Once the place was back to normal they headed off to the car. Her father walked them out and placed the baby in her car seat. She was on the edge of falling asleep and they knew the ride home would push her over.

They were right about that, he had only turned the corner and she was out. What neither of them expected was for her to fall asleep as well. It had been a long day for her before they had even planned to spend hours with their friends at her father's place.

He pulled their car into their garage and turned it off. He looked at his two girls, both of them sleeping in the same position, down to their heads turned slightly to the left.

He was reminded of a similar moment, though it was under very different circumstances. Back when she had come home to help him prove he didn't murder his girlfriend. He had even driven them home from visiting her father, but at that time he was in the hospital after being seriously injured in a car crash.

The moments after that were what he choose to focus on and what they meant to this family. It was after all the bad that finally something good happened, when they finally came together again. That moment was the catalyst that started them off on this journey together, the one they finally got right.

He liked to believe that they would have gotten together no matter what, they were too epic not to. It probably would have been better under different circumstances, but then it wouldn't be them.

He had to believe that they still would have ended up in the same spot, her asleep next to him and their daughter asleep in her car seat. Deep down he knew this was the life they were meant to have, that the little girl they created was meant to be here. He couldn't picture any other scenario that didn't lead here to this exact moment.

In the first moment he had the easy job of picking her up and carrying her to bed, but now he was faced with the dilemma of having two sleeping girls. Their daughter went inside first, no question there, but he wasn't sure what to do about his wife.

He had two options, leave her in the car to sleep as he settled the baby into bed or wake her up. He wasn't a fan of either of those options, but he didn't have enough arms to carry both of them inside.

He went with a compromise and gently shook her shoulder, "Veronica." he whispered.

"What?" she mumbled not opening her eyes.

"I'm gonna bring Charlotte inside and then I'll come back for you okay?"

"Okay?" she curled over in the seat and promptly fell back to sleep.

With that taken care of he exited the car and gently removed their daughter from the car seat without waking her. With one last look at his sleeping wife he headed inside the house to take care of their baby.


	32. Relaxing Outside

It was a beautiful summer afternoon and the family took to their backyard for some much needed outdoor time. Part of the reason they picked this house was for the backyard. It was one of the few houses they had both a pool and a grassy area. They wanted a space for the child to play in without having to worry about them accidentally leaving the property. It was also perfect on days like this where they wanted to be outside and not be bothered by other people.

The pair were cuddled up with him on his back and her pressed against his side while their daughter rested on his chest. She was awake and giving her parents gummy smiles and giggles as they made funny faces and noises at her.

"Do you know what today is?" he asked her seemingly out of the blue.

"Not off the top of my head. Why?" she answered.

"One year ago today I came from tour."

"Has it really been a year?"

He nodded his head, "and you know what else that means?"

She raised her eyes brown inquisitive about his next question. It was another one she did not know the answer to.

"Exactly one year ago this one was conceived."

He picked their daughter off of his chest and held her high above them. He carefully brought her back down with a kiss to the head.

"You really think she was conceived on the day you returned?"

He shrugged, "Well we did have a lot of catching up to do that day. Though it was more like a whole week, so I guess we could have made her any point then."

"Eh, Details."

She curled her body closer to her family and placed a hand on her daughter's back. The baby turned her head to face her mother.

"That means we'll be coming on the one year mark of when I told you I was pregnant." she mused out loud.

"Yeah and how freaked out you were over it."

"It my defense I did not think we were ready for baby nor did I know that you were going to react so well. Plus the hormones."

"It's always the hormones fault." he laughed.

"If only I had known then that we end up with the world's most perfect baby, maybe I wouldn't have freaked out as much."

"She is pretty perfect." he murmured looking at their daughter.

"How could she not be, she has our genes."

"The jury is still out on that. She's only three months, there's still a lifetime of mischief this child can cause."

"And I'm sure we'll be the ones teaching her everything."

"We have to make sure she's able to survive this town."

"Let's not think about that far in the future for now. I'm enjoying the present and she is growing up far too quickly."

"She's only three months old Veronica."

"I know, but she's so much bigger than she was 3 months ago. She can pick her head up now too."

"My mistake she has grown up a lot, she's practically ready to go live on her own."

She scowled at him, it was the only thing she could do since he was holding their daughter.

It didn't matter too much though as the baby screwed her face up into an adorable pout and started to whimper.

"I think someone's hungry." she said sitting up and taking the baby into her arms.

"Do you want to go inside and feed her?" he asked sitting up as well.

"No I'm not ready to go in yet. And we've got a high enough fence that we don't have to worry about someone looking."

He repositioned himself so she fit between his legs and her back was leaning against his chest. Once they were settled the baby eagerly latched ready for another meal.


	33. Savior BFF

She was running late for her doctor's appointment. Her father was supposed to watch their daughter, but called right as they were about to leave saying he had a break in a case and couldn't do it anymore.

For a moment she freaked out wondering what they would do with the toddler. They could bring her with them, but that was only as a last resort. She knew their child would be bored at the office, and she did not want to deal with that unless there was no other alternative. Once she calmed down she picked up the phone and called her best friend hoping he was free.

She hung up with him just as her husband came downstairs with their daughter in her arms.

"Change of plans, Dad has a case and we're taking Charlotte to Wallace's." she told him quickly.

She started moving around the house putting together a bag of all things her daughter would need. Her father's place had everything, so she hadn't needed to pack it before.

Thankfully his house wasn't too far out of the way from the doctor's offices. He pulled the car up to the curb and waved bye to his daughter as she picked her out of her car seat and grabbed the bag.

Before she could ever ring the doorbell he opened the door.

"Hey V, and Mini V." he smiled.

"Wallace!" said the two year old, in her own toddler speech, throwing herself into her pseudo uncle's arms.

"Thank you so much for doing this Wallace. You're a life saver." she said and handed him the bag.

"It's no problem. You know I love hanging out with this kid."

"Well everything she might need is in the bag and if we don't have to wait too long we'll be back in about an hour."

"It's just a normal appointment right?"

She nodded her head, "Just a check up to make sure the baby is still growing and healthy."

"Well you go take care of your second one, and I'll take care of your first. We're gonna have a lot of fun."

"Fun!" the toddler parroted.

"Well not too much fun, I do want her back when we're finished."

"I can't make any promises V."

"No promises!" the little girl shouted.

"See she likes me better already."

The mother rolled her eyes, "I see when I'm not wanted. Bye Charlotte be good for Wallace."

She leaned forward and kissed on daughter on the cheek.

"Bye Mommy." she said and added in her broken language. "I play basketball with Wallace."

"Will you now?" she laughed.

He shrugged, "I gotta teach your offspring about the greatest sport."

"You two have fun with that. I'll give you a call when we're heading back."

"Love you." her little girl said.

"I love you too. Bye guys."

She gave the pair a final wave and headed to the car. They were still running late, but she had a feeling her friend wouldn't mind if her appointment ran over. She just had to hope the doctor had the same feeling as them.

As he pulled away she watched as her best friend and daughter walked into his house. She couldn't hear what he was saying, but the toddler had both her hands on her uncle's cheeks.

The two would be fine, she was actually jealous. She would much rather being hanging out with them instead of going to the doctor's. It wasn't even a fun appointment they were going to.

Maybe when they were finished she could convince her husband to let them stay at her friend's place a little bit longer. She knew her friend wouldn't care, and really she wouldn't be twisting her husband's arm that much either.

She rest her hands on her bulging stomach as they drove. As soon as they made sure the second one was still healthy she could hang out with her first child and two of her favorite men.


	34. Hotel Boredom

He couldn't remember why he thought it was a good idea to join his wife on this case. So he was worried about her getting hurt and it did involve him or really someone coming after him, but that was all before he realized he would be stuck in the room. At least he wasn't alone, nope he was stuck in here with the eleven year old. He loved his youngest daughter and spending time with her, but there was only so much the two could do in a hotel room. Needless to say the two were bored out of their minds.

"I want to go home Dad." she whined for the hundredth time that day.

"Yeah me too, but we can't always get what we want." he said back.

"But I usually do. I don't get why this time is any different."

"Because your mom and I are trying to stop you before you turn into a spoiled 09er."

"What's an 09er?"

"Ask your brother."

"I would but he's not here with us cause Mom said he was old enough to stay home alone. Which is so unfair."

"He's 17 and has things to do for school, you're still 11. Plus do you remember what happened the last time the two of you were left alone together?"

"We cleaned up the kitchen after and said we were sorry. Plus Mom made us file for like a month after." she mumbled looking down at the carpet.

"Still to ease your mother's mind you are with me."

She slide off the couch and flopped onto the floor, "But I'm bored!"

"Yeah well I am too, what can you do about it?"

"Easy we can just go home."

"And how would we do that? Mom has the car."

"We can call James and he can come pick us up."

"He's preparing for school, he can't drive to L.A. to get us."

She lifted her head up to meet his eyes and gave him the are you serious look. Yeah he knew that one was a long shot. He remembered being a 17 year old boy, though a very different one from his son, especially the summer before his senior year of high school. Still the basics were the same, which involved lots of parties.

They set the ground rules pretty well for the kids about drinking and partying. Mostly it was no major parties in the house, and so far the oldest two had been good about that. He was almost positive that his son was spending most of his free time at his friends' houses, which was another reason why they decided to take their youngest with them.

"Did I ever tell you I used to live in a hotel?" he asked changing the subject.

Her head perked up interested in hearing a story about his past, "No."

"My house burnt down so I moved in with a friend who was at the Grand."

"Why didn't you get your own house or apartment?"

"Cause I was young and stupid and didn't care how much money I spent."

"How old were you?"

"Not much older than James."

His daughter looked at him in shock, "You were living by yourself at 17?"

He shrugged, "I had a very different life than you and your siblings do. And be thankful for that too."

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah I know."

They hadn't gone into that much detail about their pasts with the kids, especially the youngest. The chose to release information in short bursts when it was appropriate and they felt their kids needed to know it.

"So what did you do to entertain yourself when you lived in the hotel?" she asked, at least he still had her attention on the main topic.

"Played a lot of video games and lucky for you I might have brought along a system." he got up from the couch and headed into the bedroom where the bag was.

"Why didn't you bring that out earlier?" he heard her shout.

"Because I was saving it till the very final desperate moment."

It was a parent trick the two had learned early on. Spread out all the toys over time to keep things exciting. If they gave them everything at once the kids were bound to get bored early. If they waited until they were at the final breaking point with one toy all they had to do was give them a new one and they were occupied again with no break down.

"We hit that moment like seven hours ago. Set it up!"

"Wow that's a pretty exact amount."

"That's how many hours we've been awake for today. See how bored you and Mom made me, I'm literally counting the hours."

"Good we're keeping that brain sharp. We can't have it slacking off before you start middle school."

"Says the man whose about to let me play video games."


	35. Telling Dad

Telling her father she was pregnant was the last thing she wanted to do. She knew he still hoped that she would go back to New York and take the Bar Exam, but with a baby that was never going to happen. It was just another way she was going to disappoint him.

She put off telling him for a week, it was a long and hard week since they worked together and the morning sickness was in full force. She wanted him to know first, so they had to do it. She had asked him the day before if they could have dinner at his place, with her boyfriend of course. He wasn't looking forward to the conversation either, but they wanted to appear as a united force and prove to her father they were in this together.

The big night arrived and her stomach was churning, though that could have more to do with the baby then her nerves. They arrived together at her father's place. She technically still lived there, but spent more nights with her boyfried than at the house since his return.

They entered the house to find her dad in the kitchen, he had already started on dinner. She was relieved to find the smell didn't upset her stomach, the last thing she needed was to throw up. The two said hello to her dad and got straight to work on helping him make dinner.

No one spoke as they each took to a job. She wasn't ready to talk, who knows what might come out of her mouth if she did. She knew that before they left she was going to have to tell him, but she was going to put that off till the last possible moment.

Her dad seemed to have different ideas when he asked, "are you pregnant?"

The two dropped their utensils in shock at his question. "How did you know?" she asked not bothering to try and deny it.

"I'm a PI Veronica, and I pretty good one I might add. I figured something was up when you asked if you and Logan could have dinner here and since neither of you are talking I knew that something was up. And let's not forget that we work together and the walls are thin."

She looked down at the table and mumbled, "I thought I was being desecrate."

"You did a good job of trying to hide it, but I know you're bladder isn't that small. And I know all the signs of pregnancy as well. So are you?"

She looked up to meet his eyes, "Yeah we are."

He put down the knife he was holding and looked away from her. She could feel the disappointment by the way he held his body, his arms leaning heavily against the kitchen counter, his head hung low.

"Look on the bright side, at least we aren't teenagers." she said as a poor attempt to light her mood.

He looked up at her, his jaw clenched, "Do you think this is a joke Veronica?"

"No of course not. We know what we're doing."

"Are you sure about this? We're talking about another life here."

"I know Dad. Yes this didn't come at the best time, but I think we're ready for this. Or as ready as anyone can be to have a baby."

"Are you sure, because there is no running away now. You two are bringing an innocent child into this world and you cannot be wrapped up in your own personal problems. You two are going to be connected to one another for the rest of your lives by this baby. You can't be breaking up and getting back together every five minutes."

"We won't be Dad, we're in this together for the long run."

His face lightened, "Well then I guess congratulations are in order."

"Really?" her eyes widened.

He nodded his head, "I'll admit I'm not too happy about the situation, but this is my grandchild we're talking about. And for that reason I am happy."

She flung herself into her father's arms and let the tears that had been pooling in her eyes finally fall out of relief.

He let go of her and turned to the man that stood stoically beside her throughout the conversation.

"Are you ready to be a father? To take care of my daughter and your child."

"Yes sir."

"You can't be getting into fights anymore. All that anger you have inside has to have another outlet."

"I'm not going to become my father."

"I know you won't."

His body picked up at this confirmation. While he had been the strong one from the moment they learned about the pregnancy, she knew he had his fears as well. She knew how much it meant to him to hear her father, really the only stable parent figure they had in their lives, tell him that he wasn't going to turn out life his father.

He gave a curt nod, "Thank you."

He smiled at the two expecting parents, "I guess we need to celebrate then?"

"Yeah I'm starving and eating for two here. Let's get this meal finished."


	36. Daughter's Heartbreak

**Sorry that I haven't updated at all this week. I started a new job on Monday and I am getting home late. I'm just really lazy at night and kept forgetting to upload the drabbles here so I can post them in the morning. Thank you all for reading these! If you have any suggestions please let me know.  
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Her daughter was far too young to be experiencing her first heartbreak. Yet here she was at the tender age of 13 locked in her bedroom and laying on her bed amongst the pile of stuffed animals.

She had come home sullen from school and her mother had to pry out the answer that her boyfriend had broken up with her. The two hadn't been serious, though to the 13 year old it was her whole universe. This was her first boyfriend, and now the first boy to break her heart.

She allowed the teen to sulk in her bedroom until dinner time. Even though it was just a middle school relationship, she understood that she needed the time alone to be sad. She checked on her periodically with the reminder of when it was time to eat and when to do homework.

The youngest two were finally in bed and she was about to head to her room to go to sleep when she saw the light was still on in her oldest daughter's room.

She knocked on the door, "Charlotte?"

"Go away!" she heard the teen shout, but she didn't listen and entered the room.

"How are you doing?"

"I don't want to talk about." she turned over so she was facing the fall and not her mom.

"Charlotte it's going to be okay." she entered the room and sat down on the bed.

"No it won't be, it never will be. How am I supposed to go to school tomorrow knowing that I have to face him?"

"You are going to hold your head up high and show him that he never deserved you."

"I can't do that Mom."

"Sure you can. You're a Mars Echolls, the fuck it gene is part of your genetic makeup."

"I think it skipped a generation." she mumbled.

She rolled her daughter over so she could look into her eyes. Yes this was a silly middle school romance, but how her daughter felt was anything but silly. Quickly she scooped the teen up into her arms wanting to comfort and protect her as best as she could.

"I know it doesn't feel like it now, but I promise you it will get better. You are going to find yourself a much better boy than Conner."

"But what if he was the one Mom." the teen cried.

She laughed, "Trust me that boy is not the one."

The moment her daughter introduced them to her boyfriend she knew that teen was trouble. And not in the good kind of way that she was when she and her friends were in middle school.

"But you met Dad when you were 12."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I just want to have a relationship like you and Dad have."

Now she was full on laughing. The teen pulled away looking up at her Mom with both hurt and confusion on her face.

"Trust me Charlotte you do not want a relationship like ours."

"But why? You guys have known each other since you were 12 and are still in love now."

"Yes that is all true, but do you know how long it took us to get to this moment? Your father and I broke each others hearts more times then I want to count."

The kids had a rough outline of their parent's relationship. They knew the important facts that they met at 12, he dated their mom's best friend, from junior year to freshman year of college they dated, for a long amount of time they didn't talk to each other until the big moment when they were reunited and got pregnant with their oldest.

They felt their children were still far too young to know the gory details of the relationship. It looked like they were going to have to start telling their oldest more though, even if they wanted to protect her from the scary stuff. She wouldn't do it alone though, she and her husband were a team and together they would decide what information to share.

The teen still looked confused. She had to admit it was hard to understand how to people in love could have such a hostile past.

"When I was your age I had no idea that your Dad was going to be the one for me. And you shouldn't worry about that either. You have a whole lifetime ahead of you to fall in love. And you shouldn't worry about boys right now, you're only 13."

"But there are so many girls in my grade who have boyfriends."

"Do you really want to be like those other girls?"

Her daughter thought for a moment, "No not really."

"That's what I thought. Now I know what the perfect thing to help you get through the pain, ice cream."

"But Mom it's late nothing's open and we don't have any in the freezer."

"Right, well then we should go make some cookies."

Her daughter looked at her like she had two heads, "Really bake cookies this late on a school night?"

"Yes this is exactly what you need. Chocolate is proven to cure a heartbreak."

"What about school?"

"If you're too tired, you'll go in late tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Yes really. Come one."

She grabbed her daughter's hand and the two quietly walked out of the bedroom and down stairs to the kitchen. The two got to work gathering the ingredients and preparing the dough and finally she got a real smile from her daughter. It was the first one she'd seen on the teen's face all day.

"What are you two doing?" they looked up surprised to see her Dad standing in the kitchen.

"Baking cookies." his daughter answered simply.

"This late at night?"

"Mom says chocolate helps cure a heartbreak."

He looked over at his wife for confirmation and she gave him a smile and a nod. He was never a fan of the boyfriend either, though that could have had more to do with his daughter dating. He knew first hand what the boys of Neptune were like and he wanted to protect and shelter his daughters from them.

"Did we wake you?" she asked her husband.

"No, I was never really asleep. I was waiting for you to come to bed, and when I noticed you never got there I decided to investigate."

He wrapped his arms around his wife from the back and kissed on cheek. The kids were used to the affection at this point, most of the time they pretended to be grossed out by it.

"So can I have some of the dough?" he asked, not removing his arms.

"No Dad you have to wait till we're finished." his daughter reminded him, but the shine in her eyes had started to dim again.

He looked over at his wife confused at what had just happened. While the teen's attention was focused on placing the dough onto the sheets, she leaned up and whispered.

"She wants a relationship like ours, starting from middle school."

"Why does she want that?"

"Because she thinks we're perfect, and you being here is only proving her point."

"Did you explain to her that our teenage years were anything but perfect."

"Not in so much detail, but I think it might be time."

He let out a sign and looked worriedly over at his daughter. He didn't like the idea of having to tell her the truth anymore than his wife did. They didn't want to give her ideal hopes either, and knew the that it was time.

Releasing his wife he snuck up on the teen and pulled her into his arms.

"Daddy!" she shrieked in surprise.

His response was to hold her closer and kiss her head, "You know I love you right."

"Of course I do."

"Good and let me tell you that boy did not deserve you. Actually none of them do, you are far too good for any boy in Neptune."

"You're just saying that."

"Because it's the truth. Trust me the only man you need in your life is me."

"But what about James, and Grandpa, and Wallance, and Dick?" she asked, the smile finally came back on her face.

He rolled his eyes, "Fine you need those men too, but remember I'm the most important."

She laughed and matched his eye roll with the same brown eyes he had. "Yes Dad."

He pulled her in for a final hug and kiss, "Good, now let's finish these cookies. My stomach is ready for a might night snack."


	37. Morning Surf

He'd forgotten how hard adjusting to a baby was. The whole family had to get used to a new person in the house plus make an entire new schedule. The last two times they hadn't needed to factor in school either, which was created a whole new set of problems they needed to solve. Needless to say him and his wife were exhausted. They knew things would get better once everyone got used to the changes, but for now things were a bit chaotic.

He knew his wife needed a break. Heck he needed one too, but he wasn't the one that just had a baby so he couldn't complain. Which was why he called up his friend and asked him to meet them at the beach bright and early. It was technically winter, but it never got that cold in California that they couldn't go surfing. The kids didn't complain when he told them the plan, they were happy to get out of the house and actually do something with a parent.

He left his sleeping wife and, thankfully, sleeping baby in the bedroom to find his two oldest dressed and ready to go. Everything was already packed in the car so all they had to do was pile in and drive to the beach. It was quiet there of course, not many people were out surfing early Saturday mornings in the middle of February. It was just the way the family liked it. As they got their boards ready his friend finally made his appearance.

"Dick!" his kids shouted and ran to give him a hug.

They weren't surprised that their children bonded with this pseudo uncle, he was childlike in many ways. What was surprising was how good he was with them, he actually made a conscious effort to not talk about things that little ears shouldn't hear. That didn't mean he babysat them, but if they were desperate they knew he was responsible.

"Charlie! Jamie! How are my two favorite kids?" he asked pulled them in.

"We're the only kids you know Dick." the little boy reminded him.

"That's not true I know lots of kids."

"Oh yeah, name one other."

He thought for a moment before answer, "Sophia."

"She's a baby and doesn't count."

"Fine you win. I guess you guys are just going to have to introduce me to more of your friends."

"Dad said if we every heard you say that to run away." his daughter spoke up.

He quickly came over to the little group and spoke before his friend had a chance, "And that is my cue to cut in and say let's surf."

The kids easily dropped the conversation ready to get into the water. He stood back and watched with amusement as they tried to carry their boards out, they were basically dragging them in the sand.

Once they got out into the waves the real fun began. His daughter was a natural on her board and only wanted to hear the approval of the two older men. She eagerly took advice from them and did her best to follow their corrections. His son was still learning and needed constant supervision when he was on the board. The two friends rotated between surfing themselves and watching the kids. They had done a lot of co-teaching with his children and had set up a rhythm where everyone benefited.

"You okay man?" he asked after he watched the father yawn for the thousandth time that morning.

"Yeah I'm fine."

"You sure because you are checking out way more than usual."

"Just a little tired, the baby doesn't know what sleeping through the night means."

"Why do you take a break or a nap or something. I don't need you falling asleep on your board and crashing."

"I'll be fine."

"He's right Dad. We can't have you getting hurt now." his daughter spoke up.

She always seemed to be around during moments like this ready to share her eight year old wisdom. They had to listen to it too or else the kid would not relax.

"Fine I'll go sit on the beach." he relented, "But only until I'm rested, then I'll be back."

This met the approval of his friend and daughter. He could feel their eyes on him as he paddled back to the shore. A nap didn't sound like a terrible idea, especially since he wasn't going to get one when they got home. His kids were in good hands too, both for learning and safety. He knew his friend wasn't going to let anything happen to them.


	38. Family Vacation

Before the baby came they used to take a family summer vacation. It was fun to get out of California for a week and go some place new to relax. It was a tradition they hadn't planned on breaking, but when the new baby came along it was hard to go far away. They wanted, no needed, to go on a summer vacation this year. Their oldest daughter was starting middle school in the fall and they wanted to celebrate. The youngest was still young, but at least she was more or less toilet trained which would make this vacation easier.

Packing for the trip was a nightmare. They could only count on their oldest to pack everything that she needed. Her younger brother could pack his backpack, but was bound to forget many necessities, like a toothbrush or underwear. It felt like they spent a week deciding what they family did and did not need to bring and she was still up till midnight packing the night before.

Her father drove the family to the airport. She wished he was coming with them, the extra set of hands was greatly needed, but they needed to do this alone. It wasn't going to be that terrible since the oldest was over the age of 10 and was more than willing to help out. Getting through check in and security was an experience. Thankfully they still had the stroller and had the toddler strapped in, much to her dislike. The amount of bins they needed now were insane and she felt bad for all the people who had to wait behind them.

He went through first followed by the youngest. She ran right through the metal detectors happy to be out of the stroller, but unfortunately right into her father's arms. The rest of the family followed quietly behind and each member grabbed their bins. She had never been so thankful to get to their gate and even better they had found a cluster of seats next to one another. They had gotten to the airport super early. They didn't know how bad the wait was going to be and decided to overshoot their arrival.

They allowed the kids to run freely through the waiting area. It was going to be a long plane ride and she wanted to get as much energy out of them as possible, mainly the toddler. Other adults, the older ones without children, were giving them dirty looks. Once upon a time she had been one of those people who had judged the parents with wild kids, but now that she was on the other side she could care less what they thought. She tried to keep her kids calm and quiet when they needed to be, but now was the time to run. Plus she enjoyed torturing the adults with her loud children, they deserved it for judging her family.

"Look Sophia it's our plane." her son said.

The two oldest led their baby sister to the big window so they could watch the plane taxi into the gate.

"Plane! Big!" the two year old shouted.

She looked back at her parents and pointed at the large vehicle.

"Yup that is a pretty big plane." her father agreed.

Their mother went about making sure that they all had their bags and everything was back in them. The kids came back over to help and picked up anything their mother had missed.

It wasn't long after that they got to board. One of the biggest perks of having small children was getting to board the plane first. There was no having to wait in the giant mob for their section to be called. They could simply walk on and take their seats.

Of course they sat in first class. He wouldn't sit anywhere else even though she fought hard saying they had a very loud toddler and didn't want to disrupt the other passengers too much. Plus the kids didn't need first class, their little legs would do fine in coach.

He wouldn't hear it though and booked the tickets before she could protest. As his punishment he had to sit next to the youngest and have the other two across from him while she sat a row in front of them.

The toddler already wouldn't sit down in her seat. She was climbing around and pulling out everything from the seat pocket.

"Do you think we could knock her out with NyQuil?" he asked.

"Logan!" she scolded, though a part of her was thinking the same thing. "It's almost nap time, so once we're up in the air I'll give her something to drink and hopefully she'll fall asleep."

He nodded his head in agreement, but they both knew it wasn't going to be that easy. The youngest enjoyed doing exactly the opposite of what her parents wanted her to do.

"How are you to doing?" she asked looking over at her oldest.

"We're good." her daughter replied not taking her eyes away from the TV screen.

At least they were easily entertained and would be quiet during the flight. They were pros at flying by now and had their backpacks filled with things to do if they got bored. She knew they too would fall asleep, they always did.

Maybe then once all the kids were napping she would take one too. She was running on that special mom energy she acquired after having her first baby, but she could really use some actual sleep. She was thankful for the extra legroom and comfortable seats in first class, not that she would ever tell her husband that.


	39. First Hangover

**Sorry I haven't posted a drabble in a long time. I started my new job and I get home too late to post one. A million thanks to my friend Anna for posting this for me so I could have one up. I don't have as much time to write anymore and have no more left on Tumblr so I don't know what the next one will be up. But if you have any suggetions, please tell me and I will do my best to get it up for you!**

It was their daughter's first big high school dance. She and her three best friends, one of them now her boyfriend, had rented a limo for the night. Her parents played along with the teen's game allowing her to think that the four were going to the party, but they knew the truth.

The group had met at their house and many pictures were taken. The group dressed in long dresses and tuxes enjoyed the limelight hamming it up for the cameras. They watched the door as the teens got into the limo knowing that it wasn't going to the school dance.

They had told their daughter to be smart that night and if anything happened to call them. She rolled her eyes told them she was only going to the dance and nothing was going to happen. They still wanted her to know that they were not going to be mad or disappointed if things went a little differently. Really their only demand was that she come home that night, no matter how late it got.

She stumbled in well after midnight. He had been dozing off on the couch waiting for her. He watched her stumble through the house and up the stairs all without noticing him. He couldn't help but smile. She had been so admit about not drinking, yet he could clearly tell that was all she had her friends did that night.

Knowing that his oldest daughter made it safely home he made sure the doors were locked and headed up the stairs to bed. He couldn't wait until the morning to find out how his daughter's night had gone.

It was close to noon when the teenager finally headed into the kitchen. He had told his wife what he'd heard/seen that night so she was fully prepared for what was bound to happen in the morning.

Their daughter had her blonde hair thrown up into a messy pony tail and she wore an old Navy sweatshirt along with a pair of boxers. The makeup she had spent hours the day before putting on was washed off allowing them to see how pale her face was along with the dark rings under her eyes.

"Good morning." he said a little too loudly.

She looked up at him with blurry evil eyes. She huffed in response and dropped her head onto the cool surface of the kitchen counter.

"How are you feeling?" he teased knowing exactly how she felt.

"I feel horrible." she mumbled.

"I'm sorry I can't hear you."

She picked her head up clearly unhappy to do so, "Why are you talking so much? My head hurts."

"I bet it does. So did you have a good time last night."

She gave him another look before dropping her head again.

"Would you like something to eat? I can make you anything." he tried again enjoying this way too much.

She moaned in response. Clearly the idea of food was not appealing to her at this moment.

"Stop teasing her." his wife scolded coming into the kitchen.

She took one look at the teen curled up on the chair and counter and knew exactly what she needed. She filled up a glass of water a shook out a Tylenol pill from the bottle.

"Take this and drink the entire glass of water." she ordered placing both items by her daughter's head.

She didn't argue and quickly swallowed the pill needing the relief it would bring her. As soon as she finished the glass her mother filled it back up again.

"I know being hung over sucks and only time will make you feel better, but keep drinking water. Do you feel sick?"

The teen nodded her head and grimaced from the pain.

"Okay I know food isn't all that appealing right now, but we'll try getting something into you later. For now I want you to take this glass and go back to bed."

He was about to protest, but their youngest daughter popped into the kitchen and spoke for him. "Why does Charlotte get to go back to bed?"

"She's not feeling well." her mother replied.

"Then she should sleep on the couch so we can take care of her."

"You're too loud." the teen responded.

The doorbell rang which made her moan from another loud noise. Of course her younger brother didn't help matters when he yelled that he was going to answer the door.

"Charlotte your boyfriends here!" he shouted elongating the word boyfriend.

The family was still teasing her about dating her best friend, but in reality they all liked the guy. He and their daughter had been close friends since elementary school and they knew she was safe with him.

"Tell him to go away and I hate him." she shouted back.

"Is that anyway to talk about your boyfriend." the teen sauntered into the kitchen and sat down next to his girlfriend.

"Hello Oliver." her mother said kindly.

"How are you so chipper?" she asked glaring at him.

He shrugged, "I got a high tolerance I guess."

"I hate you."

"You've said that already and many times before. It's kind of lost it's power at this point."

"I thought Charlotte was going to bed, why is Oliver here?" their youngest asked her mother interrupting the teens.

"Yes bed sounds amazing right now. As does more water." she agreed and got up from the counter.

"I'll help you up there." her boyfriend offered.

"No I think it's best that we let Charlotte rest alone for now. I'm sure she'll text you as soon as he's better." her father spoke up.

Yes the boy had been to her room plenty times before, but things were different now that they were dating. Just because he liked him didn't mean he wanted the two alone in a bedroom, even if his daughter was hung over.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later."

She nodded her head and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "That meant nothing, I still hate you."

"Nah you love me too much to hate me." he teased.

He waved goodbye to her family and let himself out the front door. Her mother swore she heard the teen mumble under her breath, "damn he's right" as they watched him leave.


	40. Meeting Charlie

He hadn't told his wife where he was going. He didn't want to worry her or cancel the plans she had made with their daughter. It meant that he had to bring their son along, but he was good for neutralizing the situation.

It made him look better as well. Proof he wasn't the same guy he was freshman year of college who acted first and dealt with the consequences later. Now he was the responsible husband and father of two, a complete turn around from when he had first learned about the man he was meeting.

The call had been out of the blue, he hadn't tried to contact him since that fateful day over ten years ago. The older man simply asked if they could meet. There was no explanation to this meeting, but he wasn't going to push. This was the guy he had been waiting over a decade for to talk to, he wasn't going to press his luck.

The two decided to meet at a restaurant in between them. It was a public enough place that he knew nothing bad was going to happen, though he knew his son was going to be bored. He packed as many things as possible to keep the child busy, but the boy's energy level and attention span would not last the many hours that his father needed.

The big day came and he waited for his wife and daughter to leave before getting into his own car. He hadn't told him son where they were going, but did promise to buy him ice cream after if he was good.

The two got to the restaurant early and picked a table outside. He got the child set up with a coloring book and all there was left to do now was wait. He didn't know who he was looking for, he had never seen a picture. For years all he had heard was the voice telling him to leave a message after the beep.

"Logan?" a voice asked coming over to the table.

He quickly stood up to greet the other man, "Charlie, it's nice to finally meet you."

He held out his hand for a quick shake before the two sat back down at the table. The air was filled with an awkward tense silence, he didn't know what to say to make the situation better.

Luckily for him his son took it upon himself to fix the problem, "Who are you?" he asked noticing the new person sitting at the table.

"My name's Charlie."

"Charlie, this is my son James." he introduced the little boy.

"I didn't know you had a kid."

"Two actually. My older daughter, Charlotte, is with my wife having a girl's day. I hope you don't mind I brought James along, I didn't want to ruin their plans."

"Of course not. This was kind of a last minute meeting anyway."

He gave his older half brother a smile. So far things were off to a good start.

"Who are you?" the the child repeated. His little brow burrowed in confusion trying to figure things out.

The older man looked to the child's father unsure of what to say.

"He's my brother James, just like Hunter is your Mommy's brother. He's your uncle."

He continued to stare at his uncle. It looked like he was trying to figure out if he was supposed to like him or not. He was trying to look tough, or at least as tough as a three year old can look.

"Cute kid." he said looking at the child's father then back.

"Not cute, I three!" he shouted.

His father let out a nervous laugh, "Sorry about that. Along with the Echoll's brown eyes that we all have, he has also inherited our wonderful anger management skills. I swear he's usually a good kid."

"Brown eyes." the three year old parroted and pointed to all of their eyes.

"Right we all have the same brown eyes. Charlotte has them too right?" his father said.

The three year old nodded his head in agreement. Happy with the way the conversation went to picked up his crayon and began coloring again.

"He does seem like a great kid Logan." his half brother said.

"He get's it all from his mother." he tried to joke.

"I like Daddy." the three year old added.

Little kid ears really did pick up on everything. He was going to have to be very careful about what they said, he didn't need anything bad being repeated to his wife.

"I'm guessing that big ears that hear everything are another Echoll's family trait?" the older man asked.

"You had those too?" he asked surprised by this hereditary trait and the willingness to share it.

He nodded, "I swear they were bigger than my face."

"I think the ears are the worst trait the kids inherited. Charlotte grew into her's, hopefully James will too."

This he could do. Simple conversation about his family and finding connections. Hopefully things would stay this light and ac actual relationship could come from this meeting. He really did want to get to know his older brother.


End file.
